The Burden of Shadows
by Perspeculi
Summary: For every King, there is an Oracle. (Ardyn/OC)
1. Wayward Daughter

They meet during the Long Night, in the ruins of what once was Ifrit's kingdom of the sun.

She is weary, so bone weary, yet she forces herself to keep standing. Before her, the healer finishes speaking to a small group of people. A family, she thinks. A man and woman bow repeatedly with their hands pressed to their chests. They've been blessed, it seems. She tries not to hate them for their luck.

The pain she's been ignoring for days now overwhelms her patience. She steps into the firelight that surrounds the home. The healer tenses before he sees that she's not a daemon and extricates himself from the couple to approach her. Cautiously, he holds up his hand to cast brighter illumination on them. His pale skin almost glows in the light.

Her eyes sting from it. Once, she could keep her eyes wide open in the harshest midsummer day, the sun glowing off the sand dunes. Now she's half-daemon herself, flinching from the light as if it could kill her. Such is life now that the Scourge has killed the sun.

"Are you well, my lady?

She grips her stave tighter, more to keep herself upright than anything else. "Are you-you're the healer of the people? Ardyn Lucis Caelum?"

He reaches out his free hand to her then pauses, uncertain of whether or not he should touch her. "I am."

"I am Elpis Maelen of the Izunia tribe, daughter of the High Priestess Drusa. I have come to beg for your help."

She'd meant to get on her knees and touch her forehead to the ground. Instead she falls, the glow of Ardyn's light disappearing to darkness.

* * *

Elpis wakes to a soft pillow under her head. Blinking, she takes in her surroundings, seeing the torches that cast a circle of light around the ruins of a building. A long piece of undyed fabric hangs over the top of the ruins, forming a roof. It's the only thing that's slightly familiar to her.

The healer-Ardyn-must have brought her to a house. She lies on a pallet in what might have been a gathering room; a fire burns in a far wall, lending warmth and safety to the room. An oven, not recently used, is further behind her. Everything else that might have once claimed this as the home of a family is gone.

The events of the last month come rushing back to her as she carefully sits up, expecting pain where there is none. She moves her hand experimentally and finds it's no longer broken. What's more, she can once more breathe without crying. He must have also healed her while she slept. Belatedly she puts a hand to her hair and finds her blue headscarf still in place, as well as her shoes. He may have healed her, but he evidently didn't touch her more than he absolutely had to.

She hears motion to her side and Ardyn appears from behind another piece of fabric that must lead off to a different part of the ruins.

"Welcome back to the land of the conscious."

She feels the embarrassed blush rise to her cheeks. Thankfully, her golden brown skin keeps it from being too apparent. "I am sorry for the trouble, healer Ardyn. I... may have pushed myself too hard."

"It's no trouble." Ardyn sits next to her and hands her a bowl. Inside is some sort of broth, but that's as much as she sees before she's slurping it down.

Her mother would kill her if she were here. As she's not, Elpis greedily drinks the whole thing down in one go. It tastes incredibly bland, but it's food, and that's all that matters to her now. When she looks to Ardyn, one corner of his mouth lifts in amusement, his kind eyes showing no judgment.

"It should restore some strength to you," he says. "I healed your fractured ribs and broken wrist. You'll forgive me for doing so while you slept?"

She sets the bowl down beside her pallet. "Yes, of course. Thank you."

"You're from the desert, correct?" Ardyn seems pleased by her surprise, a cocky glint in his amber eyes. "Your clothing is distinctive."

Elpis gives him a sidelong glance, uncertain as to whether that's meant to be a compliment or not. From what she'd heard in years past, the people of Solheim dressed in a gaudy fashion, though looking at Ardyn's simple black and red robes now she wouldn't be able to guess as much. In contrast, her orange dress and blue-green belt are garish.

"Ah," Ardyn says, "I've come across poorly. My apologies. I only meant that the style is different from what we had here, as are the colors."

What they'd had before Ifrit reduced his kingdom to ashes and cinders, he means. "I see."

"Allow me another guess, hopefully without coming across as a dull jackass this time. The Scourge brings you here?"

Elpis' fists clench. "Yes. Seven people in my tribe had it when I left. More may have fallen. We'd already had two turn. They were... dealt with." Elpis closes her eyes. The broth has helped a little, but she's still so tired. "I have money. I can guide you through the desert to my tribe. Name your price and I will pay it."

"My price is nothing," Ardyn says. "I must ask, though. Even before the fall of Solheim, the desert peoples were not known to be a sociable kind. When diseases had ravaged them before, they preferred to keep to their own and spurned outside help." He studies her intently. "You came alone and with no chocobo or other means of transport. You had very little in way of supplies. Your tribe doesn't know you're here, do they?"

She's never been good at lying, so she doesn't bother. "No, I came alone. My mother would hold to the old traditions and keep us secluded. Even with the Scourge ravaging our people. My sister, Charis, she..." Elpis trails off, remembering how Charis had looked the last time she'd seen her; the thick lines of darkness trailing under her skin like veins. Elpis forces the memory from her mind. "She has it, and our mother will not ask for outside help. I cannot stand by while my sister turns into a daemon and must be killed."

Ardyn leans back, his gaze going somewhere past the walls of their little ruin, to something only he can see. "I see why you'd go to such lengths. I'll go with you to the desert; my brother Somnus and some others will accompany us."

Elpis begins to stand from the pallet. "Thank you, Great Healer, thank you. If we leave now-"

"Ah, no," Ardyn says, catching her by her arms and gently pushing her back down. He gives her a stern look, though it's tinged with amusement. "You need your rest." He holds a hand up before she can protest. "All I ask is one night, Lady Maelen. Sleep for one night, and we will set off when you awaken. If you die of exhaustion in the desert, not only do my brother and I perish, but so does your sister."

Quelled by his damnable logic, Elpis bites her tongue hard. Ardyn smirks, then his expression softens as he lays his hand on top of hers. Though she should hit him for the presumption, she finds comfort in the gesture.

The thing about visions is that they are not precise. Visions can give you the purple-red of someone's hair, how it hangs past their shoulders; it cannot give you the scent that lingers in the strands. They can tell you what someone may say, but they never quite get the voice right, nor how the smoothness of it sends a shiver down your spine. You can see how someone will put their hand on yours and have a vague sensation of weight, but you cannot feel the calluses of the palm, the heat of the skin, how it feels against your own.

The Ardyn in her visions pales in comparison to the man before her.

* * *

When she wakes some time later, Ardyn is nowhere in sight. Instead a black-haired man with pale white skin sits across from her, sharpening a sword.

She looks quickly to where her stave rests against a piece of wall. Then she curses herself for being a fool: If the man had wanted to harm her, he would have done so while she was sleeping. Still, even as she tries to rationalize her anxiety away, a sliver of unease still rests in her chest. Something about this man simply makes her uncomfortable.

As if knowing she's thinking of him, the man looks over. "Well met," he says politely. "My brother is out finding the last few supplies we'll need for our travels. He wanted you to eat that-" he motioned to a new bowl that sat beside her, "-when you awoke."

Elpis takes up the bowl, watching the man carefully. "Your brother... the Great Healer?"

Something flashes across the man's face that's gone so quickly that Elpis can't identify it. He smiles briefly. "Ardyn. Yes. I'm Somnus, his younger brother." He sheaths his sword and Elpis finds it does not put her at ease. "You made quite the impression on my brother. He admires your determination."

She grimaces. It wasn't determination so much as desperation. Why, then, does the idea that she made an impression on the Great Healer so... satisfying?

Elpis begins to eat her broth, slowly this time, then blinks when she finds Somnus giving her a strange look.

"You didn't pray before you ate."

It's such an absurd statement in these new times that all she can do is stare at first. She stopped praying to the gods when they had their War. As she can think of no good way to answer without antagonizing Somnus, she decides not to, instead returning to her meal.

If Somnus wishes to prod her further on it, he's stopped by the return of Ardyn and two others. He smiles widely when he sees her. "Good morning, Lady Maelen!"

He means it so sincerely despite the pitch black of the world around them that it actually makes her smile. When she sees the flash of satisfaction in his gaze, she realizes he wanted her to smile. _Is he this charming with everyone,_ she wonders, _or just me?_ Perhaps he, too, had visions of her.

That thought causes her smile to fall. The Astrals should have no place in her life now. Elpis decides not to think of it anymore. Right now, the only important thing is her people.

"Allow me to introduce Crescentia Nox Fleuret from Tenebrae-" He motions to a woman with pale skin and a kind smile. "-Adeodatus Amicitia-" An intimidatingly tall man with olive skin nods in acknowledgment to her. "-And Deusdedit Scientia." The last man with braided black hair and brown skin like her own bows his head respectfully. "Adeo and Deus will be staying behind to keep an eye on things while we're gone. Lady Crescentia will be joining us on our adventure, where we'll likely come close to dying many times."

The woman, Crescentia, gives Elpis a small, exasperated smile. Her near-white hair is hidden under a white veil with red sigils Elpis doesn't recognize on the hem. It puts her at ease, a little, to see another woman wearing a headscarf. "Ignore him," Crescentia says as she comes to sit next to Elpis. Her grey eyes sparkle in the firelight with mischief. "He's always very dramatic."

"More traveling actor than destined healer," the one named Deusdedit says, though not unkindly.

Ardyn puts a hand to his heart, feigning hurt. "Someone must keep our spirits up in these dark times, and I daresay Somnus is too serious to do so."

Somnus shrugs a shoulder. "One of us has to be serious."

"Dear brother, the only beings more serious than you are the dead."

Everyone, save Elpis, laughs. Even Somnus joins in, though Elpis thinks it's withdrawn and perhaps not as sincere as the others. The camaraderie between them reminds her of home so much that she feels as if her heart might crack in two.

She sets her empty bowl down. Suddenly she's more than ready to begin their travel. "If you're ready, we should go."

Ardyn glances at the bowl. "You're certain you can manage? I know my cooking isn't good enough to warrant an empty bowl, let alone two."

"It's not," Elpis agrees, and she's rewarded when Ardyn laughs. It's a low chuckle, and she gets the sense that he reserves only for certain people.

"Don't be in a rush to leave just to escape my cooking, my lady."

Elpis sighs, trying to keep a straight face. "I see I'll be cooking for us from now on. Thank you for the warning." More seriously she continues, "I assure you, I'm fine. Are you certain you're ready? I know you must travel much, but this is going to be a far longer trek."

Ardyn waves away her concerns. "We'll be fine."

"As you said, it's not the first time they've had to journey far," Adeodatus says. He's a large, intimidating man, towering over everyone else in the group. Elpis can't help but wonder if the Titan might be his father.

She looks between all of them. It's clear why Somnus is going. The sword hanging at his hip speaks volumes, as do his lean muscles. Even Ardyn clearly has experience with battle, as evidenced by the muscles Elpis has tried very hard not to overtly admire. Crescentia is less clear. Although she knows that looks aren't a good indication of power, Elpis thinks she'd rather have Adeodatus with them than Crescentia.

Elpis stands and goes to Ardyn, lowering her voice. "May we speak?"

"As my lady commands."

Elpis decides it's better that she not respond to that and walks out of the ruins out of earshot of everyone. She makes certain they're alone before saying, "What is Crescentia's role here? Has she any fighting experience?"

Ardyn glances back at the group. "She has powers, like you and I, but they're weaker. She can more than hold her own, Lady Maelen, of that I assure you."

She sets her hands on her hips, tilting her head in consideration. The urge to trust Ardyn's judgment is strong, but so is her own intuition. She had frankly only thought Ardyn would be joining her; two extra seems unwise.

As if he can sense her indecision, Ardyn places a hand on her shoulder and smiles. "I promise you that if anyone proves to slow us down, I'll send them back here to Solheim. Unless it's myself, then I'll have Somnus carry me on his back. I won't let your sister wait a moment longer than she must."

She can't stop the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "She's right, you are very dramatic."

"And yet, most sincere."

Elpis steps back and nods. "I'll trust your word, then."

"I hope not to disappoint you, my lady."

 _I don't think you could._ Embarrassed by her own thoughts, Elpis turns and makes her way back to the group. Once more she looks Somnus and Crescentia over, trying to see what Ardyn sees, trying to imagine how much they must have been through already if he trusts them so absolutely.

And, perhaps, she's searching for why Somnus' inclusion makes her feel so uneasy.

"Well," she says at length, "once we're in the desert, don't touch or eat anything without asking me first. And if you see any animals, assume they want to eat you and act accordingly."

Crescentia laughs. "We'll be fine! We have you to guide us, don't we?"

Elpis thinks they'll probably last a day before one of them manages to find quicksand.

* * *

To their credit, it takes a week after they reach the desert before Elpis has to stop Ardyn from eating poisonous berries.

She sets a hand on his arm, dragging it down from his mouth. "Unless you want to spend the next few days having your organs turned to blood and coming out of every orifice before dying painfully, I suggest you not eat those."

Ardyn raises an eyebrow and drops the berries from his hand. He'd been in the middle of a story, gesturing grandly to emphasize his words, and seemed to have picked the berries almost without thought. She's sorry to have stopped him. "Daemons, dangerous animals, and now even the flora want to kill us? Tell me, Lady Maelen, why do your people insist on living here when it seems the desert would rather you were dead?"

She smirks. "I can't speak for the first peoples who decided to live here," she says, "but everyone who lives here now knows how to survive here. It likely saved us from the Scourge for a time. And..."

Elpis glances to Somnus. The tension between them has only grown worse every time they have a meal and Elpis does not pray over her food. If Ardyn has noticed, he's chosen not to speak on it. He and Somnus both still pray. She's seen Somnus speak with Crescentia at times and the two of them glance at her during such talks. Thus far, she's pretended not to see.

Still, she won't let Somnus's disapproval intimidate her. "It helped us, I think, when the Astrals had their War. We fared better than did Solheim, at least."

Somnus scoffs. "Solheim was doomed, no matter what. They reached too high with the gifts the gods bestowed, and sought to use those same gifts to kill the Astrals."

"If I recall correctly, only Ifrit granted a gift," Ardyn says lazily.

"If the others didn't wish for humans to receive his gift, they could have stopped him easily. They did during the War."

Elpis can't help but bristle. "The War that destroyed Solheim and most of the world? If that was easy for them, I would hate to see what difficulty would be like."

"You should," Somnus agrees.

With an uneasy laugh, Crescentia steps between them. "We shouldn't waste any energy on this right now, in the middle of the desert."

"Besides, it's clear neither one of you will agree with each other," Ardyn says. "Save the theological debates for when we aren't in danger of possibly being eaten by an animal of unusual size."

Elpis should leave it alone. She knows she should. It will get her nowhere, and it would be best not to make an enemy of any of these people.

Her anger wins over her reason. "If the gods didn't want us to use their gifts to their full potential, then they should have kept those gifts to themselves," she says. "Instead of becoming angry with humans when we play in ways they do not approve."

A tense silence falls over the group, broken at last by Ardyn's laughter. "A heretic!" There's no judgment in his voice, nor in his expression.

The judgment lacking in Ardyn's face is on full display in Somnus'. "You shouldn't speak of the Astrals so. We have a responsibility to use their gifts wisely. They have a right to punish us if we aim too high."

Crescentia holds a hand out to him. "Somnus..."

Elpis narrows her eyes. "Then you would have us be slaves? To be happy we're beneath them?"

"Everything has its place in the universe," Somnus says, so calm, so full of certainty. "Eos created the Astrals first, then us. We have our place. To rise above that is to upset the natural order of things."

"Then maybe the natural order deserves to be disrupted."

Crescentia groans. "Oh, no."

Somnus tenses. "You should be thankful to them for your life!"

"A life I did not ask for! No one asks to be born or created," Elpis says, and she knows her expression is mulish, the same expression her mother laughs over. "And I've been fortunate to have a good one. What of those who do not? What of those who have fallen to the Scourge? Is that the design of the gods, to bless some and damn others? Why do they get to choose that, to treat us like their toys?"

She's aware, suddenly, of eyes on her. Elpis turns and finds Ardyn sitting on a boulder, chin in his hand, watching both of them.

"Oh, don't mind me," he insists. "Continue with your conversation."

"Don't encourage them!" Crescentia scolds.

Elpis is about to retort when she feels a shiver in the sand beneath her. She pauses, her eyes straining against the utter black beyond their firelight. She hears a quiet 'what?' from Crescentia.

And then she sees it.

" _Sandstorm_!" She's off and running, grabbing both Somnus and Ardyn by their arms, hauling Ardyn to his feet. To her relief, he doesn't trip, or hesitate like Somnus does; he seems to trust her implicitly in this. She can only hope Somnus thought to take Crescentia's hand.

She runs as fast as she can, towards them to the rock formation she'd been heading for in the first place. There are caves built specifically for this purpose. All she has to do is get them there. And yet, somehow, she knows they won't make it. The storm will swallow them before they can reach the formation and the cave she knows is hidden there.

But she still runs as fast as she can. She cannot die here. Her sister needs her.

A hand on her arm jerks her to a sudden stop, nearly wrenching her shoulder out of its socket. Elpis spins on Ardyn, enraged. "What are you doing?!"

"We won't make it by foot," Ardyn says, his other hand going to a small sword he keeps at his hip. Somnus already seems to know what his brother's about, as he comes near and puts a hand on his shoulder. Crescentia grabs hold of Somnus. "And as I've no plans to be buried alive just yet, I say we take a faster route. Hold on, Lady Elpis."

Before she can say anything, Ardyn aims his sword and throws it into the darkness. She hears a distant thud, and then-

And then the world disappears around her in a burst of blue light and she feels as if she's flying through nothing and panic seizes her and the only real, tangible thing she can feel is Ardyn's hand on her arm and then-

All of them crash back into the world and Elpis falls to her knees, gasping at the sudden hard ground beneath her. Crescentia stands beside her, and it distantly irritates Elpis that she's the only one who fell. Ardyn removes his sword from the rock it impaled and looks to her.

"On your feet, my lady," he says, holding out his free hand to her, and she wonders how he manages to look so gallant and why she's both annoyed and charmed by it. "You know the way from here."

 _Impossible,_ she thinks as she takes his hand. They're at the rocks now, and though she wants to interrogate him, the storm is still gaining on them. She hurries up the narrow path, Ardyn's light easing her way, and then they're at the mouth of the cave.

Somnus leans against the wall, having to hunch down so as not to hit his head on the top. "The storm will blow in here."

"It's better than being outside," Ardyn says, and for the first time, he sounds irritated with his brother.

Elpis takes a breath and shakes her head. "No, it won't." She reaches a hand up to the sigils carved deep into the rock while her mind's eye goes to the light at the very core of her being. She only gives it a tug and yet it surges through her gleefully, wanting to be freed, wanting to be used.

She activates the wards just as the storm reaches them, and the sand hits against the magical barrier that covers the entrance to the cave. The sigils glow white with her power. She lowers her hand and shoves the power she doesn't understand deep, deep down inside herself.

"Well," Ardyn says after a beat, "that's luck."

"The blessing of the gods," Somnus says quietly.

Elpis can't help but roll her eyes. "No. Other tribes created these caves as protection against these very storms. Someone else put this spell in place. We're simply using it for now."

"Then you must have magic of your own," Crescentia says. She's staring at Elpis with an expression that's parts reverence and... disappointment.

Elpis looks to Ardyn. He's already made himself comfortable against the wall of the cave, likely to save his neck the pain of having to hunch like Somnus. The fact that they were almost buried alive doesn't seem to disturb him at all.

"I don't," Elpis says to Crescentia, her tone flat.

"Ah, ah, Lady Elpis," Ardyn tuts. "You have too many tells to be a successful liar."

"We should get a fire going," Crescentia says, stepping between them. Elpis sends her a grateful look that she receives with only a nod.

Somnus does not take the bait. "You've been gifted by the gods as well," he says, disapproval on every inch of his face. "And yet you still speak of them so poorly?"

She shrugs a shoulder. "I'd rather not speak of it, actually."

"Why not say anything before now?" Somnus asks, his voice rising. "I knew your story didn't make sense. You should have perished in the desert on your own. Being chosen by the Astrals explains much."

"I... to be honest, I never wanted these powers," Elpis says. "And I don't enjoy having to rely on them. So I keep it to myself."

Scoffing in disgust, Somnus turns and goes to explore further into the cave. Ardyn makes no move to follow him, only says, "Please don't die, Somnus."

Crescentia gives him a dark look. "You are impossible," she says, then begins following after his brother. "Som, wait!"

"If he does get eaten by something, clearly that would be the gods' design," Elpis mutters to herself, perhaps louder than she intended, as Ardyn laughs. She knows she should tell Somnus not to wander off, but she's just petty and spiteful enough to let him leave.

Elpis watches Crescentia retreat into the darkness, realizing that this leaves her alone with Ardyn. She isn't certain why that fact makes her nervous. Possibly because she's acted abominably to the brother of the man who might save her sister. The possibility that it might be anything else isn't something she can focus on right now.

She sits across from Ardyn and bows her head, knowing an apology is needed, however irritated she may be. "I apologize, Great Healer. I shouldn't have insulted your brother."

Ardyn smirks. "First, my lady, Somnus finds insult in many things. I daresay he's angry because you're making sense. Second, please call me Ardyn. There's no need to stand on ceremony anymore. 'Great Healer' makes me sound like a pretentious prick."

Surprised by his language, Elpis covers her laugh with a hand. She should explain to him that in her culture it would be an insult to call him by his name, to act as if she's close enough to have that honor. Her mother would slap her senseless if she knew.

 _But none of that will matter soon, will it?_ Elpis thinks. _Besides, what mother doesn't know can't hurt me._

"Very well, then... Ardyn."

"So, now will you speak honestly about your powers, my lady?"

She considers, looking off to where the others disappeared. Strangely, she doesn't feel uncomfortable speaking about it with Ardyn. Perhaps because he showed no judgment of her heresy towards the gods. "I remember... a man coming to me one day when I was young. Just past my seventh turn of the sun. A man in blue armor with black wings."

She remembers she wasn't terrified of him, as she maybe should have been. Elpis wonders if that was her true reaction, or if Bahamut had kept her from being afraid somehow. There is so much she still does not understand about the gods and the control they have over humans.

"I remember his voice hurt my head, even as I could understand him. He told me that he would bestow upon me powers so that one day, I may help bring sunlight back to our star." Elpis swallows hard and shakes her head. "I didn't understand his meaning at the time. The War had not yet happened, and I was a child of the desert. All I knew was the sun. To think that it could ever go away was unimaginable."

Ardyn, who has been listening patiently with an unusually solemn expression, stirs. "I imagine so. I was visited in the same way. My family, the Lucis Caelums, were perhaps as close to royalty as one could be in Solheim while Ifrit reigned. My father and mother worked with the magitek. They both died during the War."

Elpis bows her head. "I'm so sorry."

He shrugs. "I've come to terms with it. Somnus has not. He... seems to believe it was what they deserved, for creating machines that could fight the Astrals." A darkness flickers over Ardyn's face. Then he shakes it off. "In any case, Bahamut visited me after the War, when the Scourge began to rapidly spread. I was spending my days tending to people. I was then given these healing powers to save the rest of humanity. Like you, he said I could end the Long Night."

She shifts uncomfortably, biting her tongue. Ardyn smiles slowly, amber eyes half-lidded. It's a surprisingly intimate expression and she doesn't know how to react to it.

"You can say whatever it is you're thinking, Lady Elpis. The Astrals sleep, save Bahamut, and so they cannot hear what you say. They likely wouldn't notice even were they awake."

"It's not the Astrals I'm worried about."

He raises his brows. "Me, then? I am not Somnus, my lady. I do not judge your doubts as heresy."

"And why not?"

Ardyn scratches at his chin, pondering. "It's human to have doubts, and to question things. And besides, if Bahamut was truly angered by your words, he would have taken your powers away, I should think. That tells me he must not mind much."

A shiver of unease travels down her spine. She does not share his certainty in the least, not when it comes to the gods.

But she is certain of her safety with him, now. "It's only... if they're so powerful, why can they not cleanse Eos of the Scourge themselves? Why must they leave it to us?"

"Ah, my lady, you're falling into discrepancy," Ardyn teases lightly. "You cannot want the Astrals to leave humans be and also want them to erase all our ills."

"I know," she says with a sigh. "I know. I only wonder that, if they must be involved with us, why can they not take away this one thing? Why must people suffer? I don't want them to solve all our problems. But this Scourge is so massive, some days I wonder if it can be beaten at all." She motions a hand to the cave entrance, indicating the blackness outside. "We haven't seen our sky in ages!"

Suddenly serious, Ardyn leans forward, though he does not reach out to touch her. He hasn't done so in the time they've been traveling at all. "It will be beaten, Elpis," he says. "I promise you that. We will see our sky again one day, and the sun, and the stars."

He sounds so certain that Elpis believes him. And yet, a fear lingers. "At what cost, though?"

"Whatever the cost, I will pay it."

She's struck so suddenly by the image of him sitting on a throne, a crown on his head, that she almost gasps. The man before her, the healer of the people, Bahamut's Chosen, is so willing to save people that he will pay whatever price to do so. Even, Elpis suspects, if the cost were his life. It makes her want to weep, and she is not a weeping sort.

Just as quickly, the image fades, and Ardyn is no longer a king but a man, dirty from their travels, a shadow along his jawline where the beginning of a beard lines it, but still so certain of his path. She wishes she could share in that certainty.

She laughs quietly, almost in disbelief. "You know," she says, "I didn't believe you had powers."

He blinks, and she can tell she's caught him by surprise. "No?"

"No," she says. "Even with my own, I didn't want to believe that one man was capable of ending the Scourge. I couldn't believe it, because if I did, and then I'd found you and it turned out you weren't real, I don't know what I would have done." She pauses. "Well, no, I would have punched you. But after that, I don't know."

He chuckles once more, and perhaps it's the light playing tricks on her, but his expression seems almost... fond. "I suppose it was quite a shock when I brought us to the rocks, then."

"You might say that."

"Somnus threw up his first time," Ardyn says cheerfully. "You handled yourself admirably."

"To be fair, if he'd had a deadly sandstorm at his back, he might not have thrown up his first time. It helps your focus."

"A shame we can't use it to help us in other times, then," Ardyn says.

And then they're both laughing, and it's comfortable, and for the first time in years, Elpis feels hope.

* * *

Soon, Crescentia returns with Somnus in tow. Somnus brings them a dead mountain mole to cook. He keeps a wide berth from Elpis, and that suits her fine. Ardyn launches into another story to distract from the tension between them and soon has Somnus' full attention.

Crescentia, however, leaves them to sit by Elpis. "I had a sister, too."

Taken aback, Elpis can only blink. The other woman smiles, her eyes sad. "Her name was Stella. She was my younger sister. She was a lot like you, always so ready to argue, blazing as bright as a star." She sighs. "She caught the Scourge and turned."

Elpis closes her eyes and bows her head respectfully, for the second time that night. How many more will she have to mourn before the Scourge is gone? "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Crescentia says. "Our father, he, um, took care of her. He died from his wounds after the battle. I was thirteen when it happened. I used to wonder the same things you did, you know. Why did the gods take Stella and my father? Why did they let any of this happen at all?

"My mother, she's a Priestess of Bahamut. His most devoted, I would say," she continues. Elpis is briefly confused by the term, then realizes it must mean something different in Tenebrae. "She told me that the gods have plans for all of us, even the tiniest mouse, and that no one is too small for their attention. We all have our parts to play, some big and some little, but all of them important in their own ways. Even if it's just to be someone's best friend, or help a person you only ever see once. We're all important."

Elpis raises a brow. "And so their deaths were to teach you something?"

Crescentia nods. "It's better than dying for nothing and causing only pain, isn't it? The pain is still there, but their lives had a purpose and a meaning."

"Forgive me," Elpis says levelly, "but I think simply being alive is a purpose and a meaning in of itself. We don't need the gods to give meaning to our lives. We have family and friends and loved ones for that."

To her credit, Crescentia doesn't seem offended. "But what of people who have none of those? Without the gods, they would have nothing."

"Then you find value in yourself and create your own meaning." Elpis shakes her head. "Please, I don't want to offend you, or anyone here. All I want is for my sister to be healed."

Crescentia tilts her head and smiles sadly in understanding. "But don't you see? That's why Somnus is angry. You speak as if you want nothing to do with the gods, but when it suits you, you call on their gifts to help your sister."

She cannot immediately think of a reply, because it's the truth. She is being a hypocrite. She rails against the gods and then asks for their help in the same breath. Shame floods her and she turns her face away from Crescentia.

"You're right. What else can I do, though? I can't let my sister die."

"I know," Crescentia says, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Maybe consider the gods sent you to Solheim for a reason."

Elpis looks to Ardyn, whose laughter almost fills the cave, who is making even Somnus laugh, and she hates the idea that she was led to him with a fierce passion. What she hates more is that she can't deny that the gods have brought them together for reasons she can't understand.

All she can control now is whether or not she accepts it.

Later, when most everyone is preparing for bed, Elpis approaches Somnus. "May I sit for a moment?"

Cautiously, Somnus nods.

"I wanted to apologize," Elpis says, making certain her expression gives no hint to how much she dislikes her words. Her mother has raised her well in this; she knows how to control her expressions at all times. "I shouldn't have spoken so harshly to you about your own beliefs, even if we disagree. I'm sorry for it."

Somnus stares at her for a long, uncomfortable moment. Unlike his brother, his intensity is almost suffocating. "You're right," he says at length. "We shouldn't argue about it."

"Especially because she could leave you in the desert," Ardyn adds helpfully as he comes to sit across from them both.

Somnus scoffs lightly, his smile matching Ardyn's so much it's easy to see they're brothers. "Sure. You wouldn't let her."

"Hmm," Ardyn says lightly, looking to Elpis. "I daresay that if Lady Maelen has her mind set to something, the gods themselves can't dissuade her."

Elpis grimaces as she feels the tension thicken between them all again. Somnus studies his brother intently, glances at Elpis, then turns away. "We should rest. As soon as the storm is over, we'll need to start up again in order to make up lost time."

"You're right," Elpis agrees, shooting Ardyn an annoyed look. He looks not at all sorry.

And, secretly, she's warmed by his words.

It isn't until later that she realizes Somnus never apologized for his own part in the argument.

* * *

They come upon the Izunia campsite a month after they leave Solheim. They're all worse for wear, though Ardyn's powers have kept them from being too badly injured. They let minor injuries heal on their own, not wanting to drain too much of his power before they reach the campsite. Elpis stops them a mile away from the perimeter. The firelights that encircle the site just barely lights the ground before her feet.

"When we arrive, let me do the talking," Elpis says. "Whatever you do, do not speak until I say you can."

Somnus crosses his arms over his chest. They have not grown fonder of each other since the cave. "Is there something else you haven't told us, Lady Maelen?"

Ardyn cuts in before she can reply. "Let's do as she says," he says. "We're guests here, and I'm not looking to run for my life so soon after our journey has ended." He turns to Elpis and bows to her, then cocks his head up towards her while still bowing. He smiles almost cheekily. "Lead the way, my lady."

Nodding, Elpis grips her stave tighter, then takes a breath and straightens her shoulders. The first one to see her is the sentry posted at the main entrance, firelight sparkling in her dark red hair. Elpis raises her hands and bows her head low.

"It is I, Elpis," she says. "I have returned from my journey and wish to speak with my mother."

The woman scoffs lightly. "And those with you?"

"The Great Healer of Solheim, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, and his associates," Elpis says. "Please, Nomiki. I beg your mercy."

Nomiki raises an eyebrow, strutting over to the group before stopping next to Elpis. She studies all of them carefully, eyes lingering on their weapons, before setting a hand on Elpis' shoulder. "It is not my mercy you should be throwing yourself on, Lady," she says. "Your mother is furious."

"Yes, I know," Elpis says. She expected nothing less. "What of Charis? Is she still...?"

Nomiki looks away and drops her hand from her shoulder. "She lives."

Her heart drops into her stomach and it takes all of her willpower not to run for the tent they've set aside for the afflicted. She clenches her fists instead. A hand rests on her shoulder, steadying and comfortable, and Elpis looks to see Ardyn beside her.

Nomiki stares for a long moment at Ardyn's hand, her expression cooling considerably. "I will take you and your... friends to your mother. May she have mercy on you."

They follow Nomiki into the camp. People Elpis has known her entire life stop and stare at her as if she's a stranger, their looks becoming guarded when they see the outsiders. Elpis keeps her head high. She will not show her shame to her people. She will take her punishment without flinching.

They enter into her mother's tent, the red fabric dark against the firelight. Her mother, with her long kinky hair and the orange jewel resting on her forehead, sits on the cushion meant only for the High Priestess. Standing beside her is Kirti, her mother's lover, her brown eyes worried. More guards stand behind her, which Elpis has always found funny. Her mother can fell anyone without sweating.

Surrounding her are the Eldest of their tribe. Few of them give openly hostile looks to Ardyn and others won't even look at her.

It's only when Elpis comes to stand before her mother that she begins to feel fear.

"Esteemed Lady," Nomiki says, "your wayward daughter has returned."

Her mother's voice is cold as Shiva's touch. "So I see."

Elpis gets to her knees and touches her forehead to the soft orange rug beneath her. She hears the others at least get to their knees, if not bow, and she has to hope it's enough to placate her mother for now. Elpis holds her position in utter silence, sweat dripping down her neck.

Finally, her mother speaks. "How dare you?"

Elpis keeps herself from flinching. "Mother, I-"

"I have not yet given you permission to speak," her mother snaps. "You disobeyed my orders and left our people for the outside lands, and now you bring outsiders back in with you? You dare show your face here again, knowing what it means?"

Trembling, Elpis weighs her choices. She thinks of her sister's laugh, her kind smile, the ways she can be free that Elpis cannot. She thinks of Ardyn, of the visions that led her to him, of the king beneath the healer. Of the man who does not yet wear a crown who can make her laugh as no one else.

And, somehow, she finds the courage to rise from her bow and look at her mother straight on. She does not rise from her knees-her mother would break her legs to keep her on them-but she does keep her chin high.

"I do dare," Elpis says. "I dare because I love my sister."

She barely sees her mother move before she feels the back of her hand. Elpis catches herself before she falls, her eyes stinging, the slap pounding in her head. She makes no noise. Behind her, someone stirs, and she hears whispered words exchanged between two people, but she cannot tell who.

"Insolent child."

"Drusa." Kirti's low voice comes between them. "This is a conversation best had in private, away from outsider's eyes."

"No," Drusa says. "She has brought them here, and now they can bear witness to her punishment."

"Allow me to interject."

Elpis cringes and briefly wishes Ardyn weren't, well, himself.

"As I understand it, seven of your people have been afflicted with the Scourge. Perhaps more, in the time we've been traveling. I respect your... customs and traditions, and of course you should do with Lady Maelen whatever you see fit."

Ardyn comes to sit on his knees next to Elpis and bows his head. It's not the right gesture, not nearly respectful enough, and yet Elpis wants to thank him for it all the same. "I, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, the healer of Solheim, humbly request that you allow me to tend to your afflicted. Once that is done, whatever the outcome, I will gladly take Elpis's punishment in her place."

"Ardyn," Somnus hisses.

Elpis finds she cannot move. She stares dumbly at Ardyn, her vision blurring, whether from the pain of the slap or from something else, she isn't sure at first. If it's a vision, it fades quickly.

Drusa is silent for far too long, studying Ardyn carefully. "And why would you do that?"

"I'm the reason she left," Ardyn says easily. If he's intimidated by Drusa, he doesn't show it. "It seems only right that I should bear the punishment in her stead."

"A noble fool," Drusa notes drily. "And here I'd thought I'd broken you of your habit of bringing home strays when you were a child, Elpis." She shakes her head. "The gods do love their games."

"You must not allow this child to so flagrantly ignore your word, Esteemed Lady," says one of the Elders, a woman named Lucretia. "She acts as if she is the only one in this tribe who will be losing a loved one to the Scourge. Many of us will be, and yet we do not seek help from outsiders who may bring us harm instead."

"We mean you no harm at all," Ardyn says easily.

Lucretia narrows her eyes at him. "You may not intend it, no. That so rarely keeps anything from actually happening."

Ardyn raises an eyebrow. "You'd judge us for something that may happen? That seems unwise."

Another Elder named Erastus looks down his nose at Ardyn, his expression a study of disdain. "In other tribes, speaking as you are would get your tongue cut out. This is not Solheim, boy, and you would do well to remember that."

Elpis aches to reach out and set her hand on Ardyn's, to keep him from angering anyone further. She dare not touch him in front of her mother.

Drusa, for her part, has been silently watching Ardyn. Her expression is impenetrable. At length she sighs and returns to her cushion. "You cannot take her place, healer. Our laws do not allow it, and if they had, her punishment is not something that can be borne by you."

A few of the Elders begin to speak up, but Drusa silences them all with a sharp look. It's a skill Elpis wishes she had learned.

Drusa's gaze goes past Elpis, past the group, to a spot above their heads. Elpis recognizes the trick. Her mother had taught it to her when she was younger.

 _"If you find you cannot bear whatever you must say next," Drusa had said, "look to the front of the tent, just above the entrance. Spare yourself from seeing how your words can ruin those you pass judgment on."_

Now, Drusa says, "I will allow this healer of Solheim to see to our afflicted. Afterwards, whatever the outcome, you may stay here for two days and two nights before you must leave. As for the punishment of Elpis Maelen, mine eldest daughter..." She takes a breath. "You are hereby banished from the Izunia tribe for the rest of your days. If you so love the outside, you will join it."

The words are ceremonial and not meant to be an insult, and Drusa says them flatly, and none of that stops Elpis's heart from breaking. She shakes her head before Ardyn can say a word, keeping him silent. With shaking fingers, she removes the jewels from her headscarf, the jewels that show her to be the future High Priestess.

"When I was a child at your knee, you told me that as High Priestess, I would have to make impossible choices every day." Elpis stands and walks over to the woman who is no longer her mother. "This is my impossible choice: My sister and my people, or my future. I chose them. I give my life here gladly if it means Charis still has one."

With that, she drops the jewelry into her mother's lap. Elpis turns back to Ardyn and says, "I'll take you to my sister."

* * *

The tent that they'd hastily set up for the afflicted rests near the outer edge of the campsite. People give it a wide berth, though contact with the Scourge doesn't seem to make a person catch it. It strikes at random.

Elpis supposes they'd rather be safe than sorry.

Somnus stays back at the entrance, while Ardyn and Crescentia follow Elpis. When she looks at the woman questioningly, Crescentia says, "I want to help. I can't heal them, but maybe if I just speak to them while Ardyn's working on someone else…"

Elpis nods slightly and opens the flap to the tent. As her eyes adjust to the dim lighting, she finds her sister immediately, lying on a pallet in the back. Elpis hurries over and gets to her knees beside her. "Charis, wake up. I'm back. I've come back for you."

Her sister stirs, then opens her eyes. Elpis tries to keep herself from recoiling at the sight of her sclera having turned black. Two months and the Scourge has made little progress, but what little it has still makes her heart hurt.

"El?"

"Yes," Elpis manages a smile. She takes her sister's hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. "It's me."

Ardyn comes to sit next to her. He smiles, even as he must see how dire Charis' situation is. "Hello, Lady Charis. Your sister brought me here to tend to you. I'm the healer of Solheim."

Charis' brows knit together, her eyes unfocused. "Solheim? Have we gone so far?"

"Don't worry about that now," Ardyn says, taking her hand from Elpis. "Just rest a moment."

He presses his other hand to her forehead and closes his eyes. At first, nothing happens - and then a soft golden light emits from his hands, growing until it envelopes Charis' body, until Elpis has to look away lest it hurt her eyes.

She looks instead to his chest and has to bite back a gasp. She can see the Scourge draining away from her sister. And it's going directly into Ardyn.

The light flashes once more, casting dark shadows on Ardyn's face. Elpis thinks she sees dark tearstains trailing down his cheeks but when she blinks again, they're gone. Ardyn is all that remains.

Then he recoils slightly, as if in pain. Charis' body jerks beneath his hands. "It's-fighting me-"

Charis lets out a low growl, the voice far deeper than anything she's capable of normally. A hand slams on top of Ardyn's, the nails beginning to turn into black claws that dig into his skin. Ardyn hisses in pain but doesn't move.

"No." Elpis shakes her head, fury and despair rising inside her. "No. You can't have her."

Without thinking of what she's doing, Elpis puts her own hands on top of Ardyn's, and finds the place deep inside of her where the light that Bahamut granted her rests. It races through her body and, like a bucket overfilling with water, begins to stream outside of her skin. A glow of gold lighter than Ardyn's joins his. Suddenly she can feel the Scourge, can feel how it's been eating away at Charis these long months. She can feel how hard Charis has had to fight it and how tired she is now and Elpis's fury grows.

" _You cannot have her_!"

She joins her power with Ardyn's, the force of the joining almost knocking her onto her back. Elpis pulls at the Scourge, wresting it into a smaller and smaller shape. A roar fills her ears and trembles through her blood. The daemon inside Charis wants to live.

"Focus on the Scourge, Elpis," Ardyn says, his voice strained against her ear. "Block out everything else. We have it."

Someone's shrieking, and Elpis can't tell if she is, or if it's Charis, or someone else altogether, but Ardyn's voice draws her away from it all. She focuses on the Scourge and on her power, how it laces together with Ardyn's, how she can feel his heartbeat through their connection, and Charis', and with one last burst of power, she pulls her sister free of the darkness inside her.

Gasping, Elpis falls onto her back. Her power slowly returns to the center of her soul, leaving her weak and shaky. She stares up at the top of the tent, gingerly searching her soul, looking for the darkness she'd taken from Charis. It isn't there.

Elpis sits back up and looks to Ardyn. Sweat runs down his forehead and his brow is knit in heavy concentration. And then, with a quiet groan, he pulls back the golden light from Charis.

He takes his hands from her sister and seems to almost slump before catching himself. He opens his eyes and, after a beat, smiles. Only Elpis can see the tremble in it. "Ah," he says, panting slightly, "I see loveliness must run in your family, Lady Maelen."

The whites of Charis's eyes have returned, and her veins no longer run black. A healthy flush returns to her warm brown skin. Her freckles once more stand out on her nose. Her hand and fingers are blessedly human. Charis gasps softly, then sits up.

"Easy," Elpis says, putting her hands on her shoulders. Laughing even as tears form in her eyes, Elpis hugs her sister tightly, breathing in the stale sweaty scent of her. She never thought she'd be so glad for her sister to smell so badly. "You're fine, Charis. You're healed. My gods, you're safe."

She shares a relieved look with Ardyn before he stands and goes over to the next person. Elpis almost reaches out to stop him, then lets him go. He won't stop even if she asks. Even if he clearly needs a moment to gather his strength once more.

Charis pulls away from Elpis and blinks in bewilderment. "I smell like a goat. Why do I smell like a goat when there's a really handsome man nearby?" She runs a hand through her black hair and her eyes widen in horror. "My _hair_! It's so greasy! El, where's my headscarf? Hide me before he comes back!"

The tent fills with the sound of Elpis's laughter, a sound the camp hasn't heard in ages. Soon it's joined by the joyous cries as the seven afflicted are healed and reunited with their families. Elpis helps set Charis to rights before sending her off to their mother, then looks for Ardyn.

She finds him in a darkened area of the tent, his back to them all, his shoulders slumped. Elpis goes over to him and cautiously puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Ardyn? Perhaps you should sit…"

Ardyn's body shakes under her hand. Then he takes a deep breath and smiles at her. For a brief moment, blackness runs from the corner of his mouth, and his amber eyes glow in the darkness. And then, just as before, it's gone. Warmth returns to his eyes and there's nothing on his mouth except a smile.

"I'm fine, my lady," he says, holding his arms out. "Though you're welcome to check me over, if you're so worried."

Elpis stares at him, searching for something she can't put a name to. She realizes she has yet to see Ardyn do away with any of the Scourge he's taken in. That nameless something clicks into place, but refuses to be turned into words that she can speak.

So instead, she lowers herself to her knees before him and bows her head to the ground. "I cannot thank you enough for saving my sister. I am in your debt eternally."

"Ah, no." Ardyn kneels before her and lifts her head up gently with a hand under her chin. He smirks, cocking his head to the side. "None of that. I don't want your kindness or friendship if it's only brought about because you think you owe me something."

He pulls away, looking to the people he's saved. A peaceful expression comes over him. "This is thanks and payment enough. Your happiness is all I require, my lady."

Before she can think of what to say, Ardyn stands and goes to rejoin Somnus. Elpis watches him, heart racing in her chest for reasons she can't understand-or, perhaps, doesn't wish to think about just yet. Not when her life is about to be toppled over completely.

Crescentia joins her side, clearly biting back a smile. "So," she draws the word out, teasingly. "I think I speak for Ardyn when I say you have a place with us, if your mother doesn't change her mind. Solheim could use your gifts."

Elpis laughs bleakly. "I couldn't even save my sister on my own."

Crescentia shakes her head. "That's not the gift I meant. And maybe I should say, Ardyn could use someone like you. He… holds himself back from us. It's not that he doesn't like us, but-" Crescentia trails off, mouth twisting in indecision over her words. Then she says, "Ever since he realized his destiny, he's kept to himself. Except with you."

She rubs at the back of her neck nervously, cheeks hot with a blush. "He's charming with everyone. Do you really mean to tell me that there aren't plenty of women and men he hasn't flirted with in Solheim?"

"Sure," Crescentia shrugs. "But there's something different about him with you. Don't think I haven't noticed you two staying up late to talk to each other after Som and I have gone to bed." She smiles at Elpis fondly, before turning serious. "He's right, though. Don't stay with us just because you think you owe him something. Make sure you know your own feelings."

 _I cannot believe I'm being lectured by a girl barely older than my sister,_ Elpis thinks. Still, she nods in understanding. A red mark on Crescentia's palm catches her attention and her eyes widen. "What is that?"

She startles and then hides her hand behind her back, almost guiltily. "I tried to help you both when the Scourge was fighting Charis," she says. "But you were both so powerful that my own power was thrown back. I'm fine, though!" She smiles. "I shouldn't have been so thoughtless."

Elpis isn't certain if she entirely believes her levity. There's a flicker of unease in Crescentia's eyes that worries her. But frankly, she's also too tired to interrogate Crescentia too much, and she has too many other things to untangle in her mind. She leans against a tent post. "There should be some burn salve in the proper sick tent. It might help."

"Oh, thank you." Crescentia peers at her. "Will you be all right if I leave you alone here?"

Elpis can only nod once more before closing her eyes. Blessedly, Crescentia doesn't press the issue, and soon Elpis can hear her footsteps retreating the tent.

In the solitude of the tent, Elpis takes a deep breath, and for once wishes her visions would tell her what path to choose from here.

* * *

Title comes from "Memoro de la Stono" from FFXI and, specifically, the Distant Worlds album.

Some notes:

1\. Because all the different translations of FFXV have differing stances on Ardyn's name, I decided not to untangle that to make it all congruent with each other and instead make "Izunia" a name he borrows from Elpis' people. This way, specifically, what he says in the English version is still pretty true: "You'll never guess whose name Izunia was."

1a. On that note, Elpis' people live in the desert where Hammerhead will one day be. This calls back to how Noctis' journey began, but I also did this because Ardyn says in Chapter 13 that "in Lucis there lived a healer". However, Lucis did not yet exist until well after he was imprisoned, so that line was Ardyn/the script writer simplifying things for time. Solheim existed in between Cleigne and Duscae, therefore I chose to make Elpis come from the desert by what would be Insomnia so that line would still technically be in line with canon.

2\. I decided to make the side characters ancestors of the main party and Lunafreya. That way, we see the beginnings of Lucis. The original female lead of FFvXIII, Stella, is also mentioned. (Sorry, girl. You have rotten luck in every story, it seems.) This will also play into events later.

2a. Somnus isn't evil, just Conflicted.

3\. I'm gonna be leaning hard into the Christian allegory and imagery that FFXV used, especially with Ardyn. Elpis' last name holds a clue as to who I'll be drawing inspiration from for her.

4\. I realize I'm playing fast and loose with a lot of the canon surrounding Somnus and the Oracle, specifically, and the exact nature of Starscourge post-Solheim, but hopefully it pays off in later parts. To that end, I look forward to all of this being Jossed as soon as Episode Ardyn releases.

5\. The soundtrack for this part consists of:

1\. Somnus: Dreaming of the Dawn (from the FFXV piano collections)  
2\. Shadowland from The Lion King Broadway soundtrack.  
3\. Various Storms & Saints by Florence and the Machine.

Thanks for reading. Hope to see you back for part 2.


	2. All the Stars

"I have built, deep in my heart, a chapel filled with you." -Michael Proust

* * *

Later on, Elpis' people dance around a bonfire, their hearts similarly alight with joy for their cured people.

She watches them from afar, her own heart equal parts happiness and despair. No longer is she allowed to join in the dancing. She tells herself that she's never been a terribly good dancer anyway, too conscious of her body and how absurd it can look, but it's not entirely effective. The music is so loud and so joyous that she wonders it does not wake the gods.

Elpis senses more than hears motion behind her, then voices, barely discernible over the music. One of them is Ardyn's. Elpis is about to go to him when she hears her name and stops, hidden in the shadows.

"I'm only asking that you speak to the High Priestess," Ardyn says. "I'm not asking that you lift the punishment entirely, but eternal exile seems a tad harsh for saving people's lives."

Kirti sighs irritably. "Drusa is bound to the laws of our people, as are we all," she says. "If she makes an exception for Elpis, she'd be setting a precedent that the rules do not apply to the High Priestesses from now on. It would harm her own standing in the eyes of not only our people, but the people of other tribes."

"Then change the rules," Ardyn says easily, as if it could ever be that simple.

Kirti stares at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because Lady Maelen came to me so she wouldn't lose her sister, and she is losing her all the same. I am to blame for it."

"No, the Scourge is," Kirti says. "Have the same sympathy for Drusa. She is losing a daughter."

"But she doesn't _have_ to!"

"Healer Ardyn."

Elpis emerges from the shadows. Kirti looks away, shifting uncomfortably, while Ardyn's smile merely broadens.

"We were just speaking of you, my lady."

She raises an eyebrow. "At least you're honest about it."

Kirti shakes her head. "Elpis, please tell your friend that he needs to keep to his own business and not interfere with ours. Drusa gave you the lightest punishment possible. Don't force her hand into something worse."

With that, Kirti takes her leave to join the celebration. Ardyn waits until she's long out of earshot before saying, "I think I may be winning her over."

A small laugh escapes her, short-lived. "I appreciate what you're trying to do," she says truthfully. "Kirti is right, though. You need to leave it be."

Ardyn makes a face. "It's ridiculous. You saved those people."

"I also broke the law."

"Just because something is a law doesn't make it morally right."

She laughs louder this time. "Are you becoming philosophical now?"

"I prefer to think of it as common sense."

"Thank goodness. You're already so gifted, I'm not sure Eos could survive you if you added another talent to the list."

They share a long look, Ardyn's smile becoming more real, other than the one he uses for strangers. Elpis is the first to look away back to the dancers.

"Will you be joining them, my lady?"

"No," she says. "I'm not allowed to, anymore. Besides, I dance like a newly hatched chocobo that's constantly surprised by its own limbs." She looks for Charis in the mass of bodies but cannot see her. Her mother is not present either.

Ardyn notices that as well. "You could simply sneak in. Your mother wouldn't be any the wiser."

"Hah! I used to believe she had eyes everywhere. She always used to catch me doing something I shouldn't." There's a wistful note in her voice, for the days when she was a child and knew only the present in the way a child does. No future to worry about. No lives depending on her.

"Do you… hate your mother now?"

Shocked, Elpis shakes her head vehemently. "No. I could never. All my life, all I ever wanted to be was half as amazing as she." She pauses, then quietly adds, "I do hate some of her decisions, though."

"Fair enough." Ardyn leans against a tent post, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches the dancers. "My parents were disappointed in Somnus and me, as we never took to magitek as they'd hoped. Our father, especially. He taught me everything he knew about magitek, and though I understand it fine, I have no passion for it. I think you can guess how Somnus felt about magitek." He smirks. "For all his piousness to the gods, he was quite the rebel to our parents."

Elpis watches the firelight dance on his face, casting his features in different lights. His voice soothes some of the heartbreak in her chest. "Then you were always interested in helping people?"

"Hmm. It's true I find people far more interesting than machines, though at their core they're similar. Both will act in certain ways if you just know which button to push."

This is by far the darkest thought Ardyn's expressed to her and she can't quite keep the surprise off her face. He glances at her, noting her expression with grim amusement.

"Have I shocked you, Elpis?"

"Maybe a little," she admits. "Though I suppose I can't really refute the logic in your argument."

He shrugs a shoulder. "People, at least, have the capacity to surprise you, to act in ways you didn't bargain for." He frowns. "Do you judge me badly for my observations?"

"No," Elpis says after thinking it over. "It's perhaps more cynical than I'd expected you to be, but I don't judge you badly for it."

"I'm… pleased to hear that, Elpis." Ardyn shifts, clearing his throat. "I fought during Ifrit's destruction of Solheim, but I find no joy in warfare. I would rather heal wounds than inflict them. Anyone with a sharp enough stick can hurt others; it takes something more to heal them."

She smiles. "Very noble of you." _Very kingly, in fact._

Ardyn rubs the back of his neck. "It's a simple fact. Cruelty is easy. Despite how I come across, I'm not much interested in doing things the easy way."

"Oh, stop it," Elpis says, nudging his ribs with an elbow. "Just admit that you're a good person and be done with it. I see past your carefree attitude, Ardyn Lucis Caelum."

"Do you, now?" Ardyn says, stepping away from the tentpost and closing some of the distance between them. He stares down at her, his expression unusually intense. "And what do you see beneath that, my lady?"

Elpis stares up at him, taken aback by the sudden shift of their conversation. He's so near to her that if she were to take a deep enough breath, their chests would touch. The urge to do just that, to touch him, is so powerful that Elpis clenches her fists until her nails dig into her palms.

"I see a good man," she says in a hushed voice. Somehow, it isn't lost to the cacophony beyond them. "One who, even if he had not been chosen by Bahamut, could change the world by force alone. Who cares deeply, even if he tries not to show as much. I see someone who can lead us out from darkness into the light once more."

Ardyn seems shocked by her words, amber eyes widening slightly. His gaze drops from her eyes to some place lower, somewhere that makes her breath catch in her throat and every muscle in her body clench in anticipation.

Just as she's deciding what she'll do if he kisses her, a voice comes between them. "El? I wanted to-oh."

Elpis steps away from Ardyn and turns to Charis. She keeps her expression neutral, giving no hint to the racing of her heart beneath. Charis looks between them both, one foot stepping back uncertainly as if to leave them.

"I'll leave you two be," Ardyn says, bowing grandly to them both. He smiles charmingly at Charis before turning and wandering away.

Elpis tries very hard not to watch him go.

After a beat, Charis says, "I interrupted something, didn't I?"

"No," she says. "We were only talking about the journey ahead."

"How many times do you need to be told you're an awful liar before you get it?" Charis grins, then it falls. "I've tried speaking to mother. She can't exile you. She _can't_."

"And yet, she has."

"Well, it's not fair!"

Elpis sighs. Sometimes she forgets how many years are between them both and how young Charis still is. Barely past her eighteenth turn of the sun. "Sometimes things aren't fair."

"Then it's up to us to make them so."

She raises a brow. "Careful. I'm the argumentative person in the family. Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean you need to be so eager to take my place."

Charis looks stricken. "Don't joke about that. That's awful."

Elpis shrugs. "It is what it is. Please, little sister, don't worry over me. I made my choices and I made them willingly and with full knowledge of what it would mean." She puts her hands on Charis' shoulders. "I would do it all again to make certain you're safe."

Tears form in her hazel eyes. "But who will keep you safe now?"

"Myself." _And perhaps Ardyn._ "And never, ever doubt that I will come back to protect you, no matter how far apart we are. If you need me, I will be there."

They hug each other tightly, staying in their embrace until Elpis pushes her away gently. "And now you should rest. Go lie down."

"I've been lying down for months. If I even see a pallet right now, I'm going to vomit." Charis gags to further her point.

"Charis!" A group of girls descends upon Charis, who reacts with glee. Soon they're all hugging each other, voices overlapping, tears and excitement laced together.

One girl with skin as black as midnight breaks away from the group to look to Elpis. She's older than the rest, closer to Elpis' age than Charis', and Elpis faintly remembers playing with her as a child once.

"Eumelia."

The fact that Eumelia looks surprised that Elpis remembers her name fills her with shame. "Thank the gods you returned safely," Eumelia says after she recovers her composure. "We were all worried."

Elpis manages a smile. "I'm sorry to worry you. But everything is fine now, isn't it?"

"Yes."

They stand awkwardly for a moment, uncertain how to end the conversation, when Eumelia finally grimaces and turns back to Charis. "We should go. Your elder sister probably has other things she should do."

Charis hesitates. "Well..."

"Go on," Elpis says. "As you said, you've been lying down for months. You should get your strength back. Go spend time with your friends."

Eventually, Charis nods and walks away, looking back to Elpis only once before they all disappear around a corner. Elpis tilts her head back and sighs.

 _Remember,_ she tells herself, _that is why you've sacrificed everything. To give Charis the chance at life._ Sacrifice was nothing unusual to her. She'd had to sacrifice friendships and relationships with people all her life, had to remember she was their future leader and keep that line in the sand between her and everyone else. Charis never had that invisible barrier.

In the end, Elpis reflects, more people would mourn Charis if she had died than will miss Elpis once she leaves.

* * *

After everyone has left the fire, Elpis sits next to it, balancing a large plate of food in her lap. Something inside her eases as she smells the familiar aromas of her childhood. As it'll likely be the last time she'll eat these meals, she intends to savor every bite.

She pauses briefly, looking down at her food. Then, for the first time in years, she closes her eyes and prays.

 _Thank you for sending me to Ardyn._ _Thank you for these powers, and for letting it be enough to save my people. Thank you. Thank you._

Ardyn comes to sit next to her. Neither one of them speaks at first, instead enjoying a quiet companionship. They often did the same after Somnus and Crescentia went to sleep on the journey, staying up far later in order to talk.

Ardyn reaches over to Elpis' plate and picks a kebab off. She raises an eyebrow playfully. "Excuse you-"

"Good _gods_!" Ardyn coughs, nearly spitting out the piece of roasted chicken he'd begun to chew. His face rapidly turns red and tears form in his eyes. "Is it supposed to feel as if skin is peeling off my tongue?"

Unable to stop herself, Elpis laughs, clutching at her middle. She manages to calm herself enough to hand Ardyn some cream to help with the heat, then takes a look at his face and devolves into giggles once more.

"And that," she gasps between laughs, "is what you get for stealing my food."

Ardyn makes a face and hands the kebab back to her. "No wonder you thought my cooking was poor. You must not be able to taste anything at all, after a lifetime of eating that."

"Oh, hush," she says, shoving him fondly. "Our food has flavor, unlike the dishes in Solheim."

"The food in Solheim doesn't try to kill people."

She smirks. "And this is half of what we normally use in these dishes. The Great Healer, felled by a little spice."

Ardyn laughs, his face still slightly red. "Somnus would love to hear the stories they'd come up with about that."

Elpis gives him a sidelong glance, trying to decipher his expression, before deciding not to press him about it. "You can build your endurance up. Start with weaker spices, and such."

Ardyn raises an eyebrow. "You realize you're speaking of food as if it's a training exercise, correct?"

She shrugs a nonchalant shoulder and very pointedly stuffs a large piece of chicken into her mouth. Ardyn watches as she doesn't react at all, smirking.

"Point taken."

Silence stretches out between them until Elpis finishes her supper, casting the remains into the fire. After a moment, she says, "About what you said earlier, about people being easy to read, like machines..." She struggles to find the words, noticing how Ardyn has suddenly stilled beside her. "Do you think I'm simple like that?"

He startles a little. "I-no, actually."

Somehow she isn't gratified by the answer. "Really? You haven't found each of my buttons to push? Haven't already examined my entire personality and reduced it to basic traits?"

"No," he says, completely serious. "I haven't done that with you. I won't."

"And why not?"

After a beat of silence in which he studies her, Ardyn reaches a hand up to her face and trails it along her cheek. "I prefer to be endlessly surprised by you, Elpis."

Her entire body feels aflame, starting from where his fingers touch her skin, all the way down to her toes. She can't look away from him, can't stop watching how fascinated he seems to be with simply touching her face. Then, reluctantly, his hand falls away. She takes in a shuddering breath and turns her face back to the fire.

"I wonder," she stammers after a moment, then tries again with a steadier voice. "I wonder why Crescentia was given powers as well."

Ardyn takes the change of subject in stride. "More people with those abilities means a better chance of eradicating the Scourge for good. Bahamut's simply playing his chances."

"Maybe," Elpis says. "It feels more like a test."

"Somnus would say you're letting your dislike of Bahamut cloud your opinion."

Irritated, Elpis says, "And what do you say?"

Ardyn stares into the fire, his gaze distant. "It could very well be," he finally says, his voice quiet. "The gods do enjoy their tests."

"But then what's the prize?"

"Only the gods know." Ardyn's gaze lifts to the black sky. "I had... wondered, in fact, if I should undergo their Revelations."

Shocked, Elpis can only say, "Why?"

"I'm not sure," he muses. "Something seems to be pulling me that way. Some invisible thread. Perhaps if I did, Bahamut would grant me more power and I could cleanse our star of the Scourge."

Terror seizes her. The Revelations are not things to be taken lightly. So soon after the War, can their lands take any further damage from the gods? The damage would make Ifrit's destruction of Solheim look petty in comparison.

Ardyn smiles faintly. "You've no need to worry, Elpis," he says. "I don't think I intend to do it yet. Not when Solheim still needs me."

And yet, Elpis can already see that he will take them, one day. It feels like a certainty in her gut, the same way her visions were. What's worse, she can feel that same invisible thread pulling at her, as it pulled her towards Ardyn so many months ago. The gods are playing with her destiny once more. Despite her newfound faith, Elpis cannot like it.

That doesn't stop her from saying, "I'll go with you."

Ardyn blinks in surprise. "What?"

Elpis' voice becomes more certain as she speaks. This is right; this is what she needs to do next. "I have nowhere to go from here," she says, "but I would join you, if you asked. I could help in Solheim. And if, one day, you chose to undergo the Revelations... I will go with you to where the gods sleep."

"I couldn't ask that of you."

"Then don't," Elpis says, "but I'll join you all the same."

Ardyn peers at her. "This isn't about that debt nonsense, is it?"

"No. I'm offering because... because you've changed my life, Ardyn, and I think it's meant to have you in it now." She takes a deep breath. "Because I want you in my life, now."

His expression softens and he lets out a quiet laugh. "There you are," he says quietly, "surprising me yet again."

Elpis smiles. Then movement out of the corner of her eye catches her attention.

By the time she turns to look, whatever it was is gone. But she swears she saw the blue of Somnus' cloak disappearing behind a tent.

* * *

Though she's no longer of the family, Drusa does not stop Elpis from sleeping in the tent she once shared with Charis. The others are relegated to the tent used for the rare visitors.

Charis is already on her padded pallet when Elpis quietly steps in. She can tell Charis isn't asleep by her breathing, but waits for her to break the silence. After taking her boots, belt, and headscarf off, then washing her face, Elpis lies down facing Charis.

For a moment, neither of them speak. They merely study each other. They do not share a father, and so any similarities come from their mother. Elpis will never be able to look at her reflection without seeing what parts of her come from Drusa, and what parts are mirrored in Charis. They share the same full lips, the same broad nose. Charis has freckles across hers; Elpis does not. Elpis' eyes are a dark brown compared to Charis' hazel. Elpis knows she has a more severe look to her, a brooding look, thanks to her straight, thick eyebrows that rest low on her eyes.

Charis has always been the happier of the two, the lighter, the weight on her shoulders not as heavy as Elpis'. She's quicker to smile, quicker to laugh, and always looks to the bright side of things. The sun would envy how bright she burns.

Elpis is more like the night, and she thinks she probably would have been so even if she weren't the Eldest Daughter. Her responsibilities simply made her grow up faster and become more aware of all the ways their life in the desert could come to sudden, horrible end. It made her aware that she could be the one to lead her people to ruin if she were a stupid, careless leader. She has always been a little too serious, a little too cautious, a little too willing to think of the ways something could go wrong. Always looking for the hidden dangers. Her own light is gentle and soft, when it appears at all.

And yet, for all their differences, they have never once truly hated each other. There have been annoyances and times when they were so angry they didn't even want to look at the other, but never hatred. They always come back to each other in the end.

Finally, Charis speaks. "I don't want to be High Priestess."

"I know. And I would spare you from that if I could." Elpis sighs. "Are you angry with me for going to Solheim?"

"I-I don't know," Charis says. "I'm glad I'm not a daemon, or dead. And none of this would be a problem if mother weren't so unyielding."

Elpis takes Charis' hand and gives it a squeeze. "The first lesson of being a High Priestess: You must always be as unyielding as the mountain."

Charis makes a face. "Mountains can be destroyed by magitek if they're in the way of something."

"See? You're learning already."

Charis sticks her tongue out, causing both of them to giggle like they're children again, and not women grown. They fall silent once more, listening to the other's breathing, each lost in her own thoughts. Outside, there is only the crackle of the ever-burning fire to join them, everyone else having gone to sleep.

"So," Charis says, moving closer to Elpis and lowering her voice. "What exactly is going on between you and Ardyn?"

"Nothing," Elpis says, and it's more or less the truth.

Charis raises an eyebrow. "I saw you staring at his ass earlier. It is a very fine ass, true-"

Elpis hits Charis in the face with a cushion, hard enough to make her point. Charis snorts with laughter and pushes the cushion away.

"There may be something there," Elpis finally allows, setting the cushion back in its place. "He's very handsome, it's true."

"You could be standing across from the most gorgeous man in all of Eos and not give him a second glance if his personality was horrible," Charis says. "And you'd fall in love with the ugliest man if he was pleasing to converse with."

Elpis smiles slightly. "You're right. I feel… lighter, around him. As if he takes some of the weight from my shoulders and carries it for me. I feel happier. He can make me laugh."

"Oh," Charis breathes. "You're in love."

She has to think it over a moment, then shakes her head. "Maybe. And that uncertainty is why I think I need to give it time. What if it's not love and instead merely gratitude for saving your life? I need to be able to say, without a shadow of a doubt, that I love him. Right now, that isn't possible."

"Maybe it's just sexual, then." At Elpis' sharp look, Charis shrugs. "What? I've found someone physically pleasing without being in love before. Mother finds men physically attractive, but her heart is solely for women."

Elpis takes the time to think this over. She can't deny the thought of having sex with Ardyn heats her body and causes her heart to pound in her ears. But she's never been one to simply lie with any random person. There's only been two other people who have seen her without her headscarf on, and she had been deeply in love with both. For other people, sex may be something that can just happen without anything else expected to come from it; Elpis cannot find it as frivolous as that. Her body is an honor that should not be lightly bestowed.

"I don't know if I could simply lie with him and be done with it," Elpis finally says.

"Maybe not right now," Charis agrees. "But you're going back to Solheim with him, aren't you? Maybe in a while, you'll feel differently."

"Perhaps."

"Is it true what they say about Solheim?" Charis asks. "Is it as bad as they say?"

Elpis closes her eyes and remembers the burned out ruins of buildings, the people who scurried from her like frightened animals, the ever present stench of burning in the air. The way ash still coats parts of the city. "It's worse. It's so much worse than anything I was prepared for. If the Scourge hadn't struck so soon after Ifrit's death, maybe they could have recovered, but now it's a slowly dying city."

Charis lets out a long breath. "How horrible. Are you sure you should go back?"

"Yes." On this, Elpis has no doubt. "I can help people there. Maybe even build a community. It won't ever be what it was in my lifetime, but it could be _something_."

There's a pause before Charis snuggles close to Elpis, as they did when they were children and the desert nights became unbearably cold. "You're an amazing person, El," she says. "No wonder Bahamut chose you."

Elpis listens as Charis falls asleep, unable to do so herself. After what feels like hours pass, Elpis gets back up and heads out of the tent. Most everyone else is asleep, so she merely wanders the camp, taking in everything to hold her over the lonely years to come.

A movement catches her eye and she stops. Standing near the main fire is a woman unfamiliar to her, straight black hair hanging to her waist, pale skin, and wearing shoes that are not at all suitable for the desert. Elpis squints and sees that the heels of her shoes aren't sinking into the sand.

"Have you found your path again, young warrior?"

Elpis slowly approaches the woman. Once she comes to her side, Elpis sees that her eyes are closed, a peaceful expression on her face. Her voice weighs heavily in Elpis' mind. And in the air is a taste, a scent of something that Elpis has never once encountered, but somehow instinctively knows to be snow.

"I'm not certain."

"And why is that?"

Elpis turns to face the fire. She adds more brush to it, to keep it thriving. "I understand why Ardyn was chosen. And Crescentia, for Tenebrae is close to Bahamut's heart. But... I do not understand why I was chosen."

"Do you think it your place to question such a thing?" There's no reprimand in the woman's voice, only mild curiousity.

"I think it's natural to have some questions about it, and if Bahamut minds that, then he should come and tell me himself."

The woman laughs quietly. "Perhaps it is that fiery heart of yours that drew Bahamut's notice. With Ifrit dead and his fire gone from Solheim, the people need someone to warm their hearts once more. To light their way again and protect them from the terrors of the night."

Elpis slowly shakes her head in wonder. "Is that Bahamut's wish for me, then? To go to Solheim?"

The woman finally opens her eyes, the flickering firelight reflected in the brown of them. Instead of immediately answering, she merely stares at the fire. Something like sadness passes over her expression briefly. Then she looks to Elpis. "I think your heart has already decided for you."

Elpis' gaze travels to where the tent for visitors rests, where she knows Ardyn sleeps. It does not escape her notice that the woman did not precisely answer her question. "My mother did not raise me to make decisions solely on the feelings of my heart."

"Your mother is an intelligent woman," the stranger allows. "But your paths have diverged. You have already listened to your heart once when you set out to save your sister."

With a deep sigh, Elpis looks to the sky. "If you came to help me see things clearly, you're not succeeding."

The woman closes her eyes once more and turns away from the fire. "Bahamut has no wish for you other than to do the best with the powers with which you have been blessed. Whether that is in Solheim or elsewhere in Eos, that is your decision."

"Is it, though?"

Silence meets her question. Elpis turns and finds the woman has vanished without a trace. The only sign she was ever there are the footprints in the sand next to the fire.

* * *

The night of her final departure from her tribe is a quiet one. Charis, Kirti, her mother, and the Elders have come to see her off, joined by a few scattered members.

Charis now wears the headscarf jewels that show her to be the next High Priestess. She keeps reaching up to touch them, unused to their weight, and each time she does an uneasy expression flicks across her face. Elpis wants to comfort her and tell her that she'll grow used to them. She wishes she could tell Charis she'll be a great High Priestess one day.

Elpis stays where she is.

The only things in her pack now are the supplies she was able to trade for during their stay. Everything she owned before, save the clothes on her back, now belongs to the tribe. Even her stave has been passed down to Charis, as it's another sign of her new position.

Drusa keeps her face neutral, every inch of her the strong leader Elpis always wished she could be. The Elders shift impatiently, apparently eager to see her off and be done with it. They act as if she hasn't been an exemplary eldest daughter for twenty-eight years. All that matters now is the stain she wears from venturing beyond their borders-and worse, bringing outsiders with her when she returned.

"Well," Drusa says at length, "may the Astrals guide you safely to wherever you next land, child. No matter where you go, your blood will always be of the sand that you've forsaken."

"This is wrong," Charis whispers, just loud enough to be heard.

Elpis is beginning to agree with her.

"May the Astrals guide and protect you, Esteemed Lady." Elpis looks her mother in the eye. "No matter what, you'll always be my mother."

Drusa blinks slowly, then turns her face away. It's the only indication Elpis will receive that any of this affects her.

Ardyn steps forward. "May I have one last word?"

"No." Drusa's voice is flat.

Ardyn ignores her. "Your daughter is right; this is wrong. Lady Elpis risked everything to save the people closest to her. That you reward her by exiling her is ridiculous. You act as if your laws and traditions cannot be changed because they're how things have always been done, but I urge you to look around, Lady Drusa. The world has changed. The old ways, as comforting as they may be, no longer suit this changed Eos. A day will come when your tribe is in tatters and you will have no one to blame but yourself."

Everyone seems to hold their breath, waiting, watching to see what Drusa's response will be. After a long, terrifying moment, she smirks and walks up to him. Elpis steps closer to him and out of the corner of her eye, she sees Somnus grip the hilt of his sword.

Drusa leans in close, her voice low. "Do not think I will not mourn her the rest of my life. You may be Bahamut's Chosen, but you are still a boy, and you have only a boy's knowledge of the world. Our ways of life have been in place long before your ancestors were born; they will be in place long after you are gone."

She levels a look at Elpis. Stepping away from Ardyn, she leans in to Elpis so no one else can hear what she says. "He may get you killed one day. You do realize this?"

Elpis opens her mouth, then shuts it. She cannot say the thought hasn't occured to her since she made her decision to go to Solheim with him. Slowly, she nods. "I do know this. And I choose to follow him all the same. No price is too high if we can see the sun again one day."

Drusa shakes her head. "I failed you somewhere along the way, if that is what you truly believe. There are prices too high that they can never be paid."

Her mother turns away from her and takes her leave, Kirti following beside her. Elpis watches her as she goes, etching the last sight of her mother into her memory. The Elders slowly file away, leaving only Charis behind.

Charis' bottom lip quivers and then she runs forward, throwing her arms around Elpis in one last, desperate hug. "How will I do this without you?"

"Bravely," Elpis says. "And not without many mistakes. Learn well from them. Make us strong one day." She pauses. "And if mother does not change things, maybe one day you will."

They pull away, the silence heavy, full of things they have no time to say.

Then, reluctantly, Charis lets go and walks backwards into the campsite once more.

"I love you," Charis says.

"I love you as well," Elpis replies, and then Charis is gone behind the tents, and there is only Ardyn beside her, Somnus and Crescentia behind her, and the open desert waiting for her next step.

Elpis turns to the group that will make up her new tribe. Crescentia smiles at her sadly, while Somnus shifts uncomfortably, likely uncertain how he should react to any of this.

Ardyn studies her. "Elpis?"

With a deep breath, she manages a smile. "Solheim is waiting for us. We should go."

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Elpis starts. Somnus walks beside her, though he keeps a good distance. It's been a few hours since they left her tribe's campsite for the last time, and they've all been quiet. Even Ardyn, who seems to take silence as a personal affront, has been lost in his own thoughts.

Seeing her confusion, Somnus elaborates. "It's hard to lose family. Ardyn's told you about our parents?" At her nod, he continues. "I begged them to stop making magitek, or at least any magitek that could kill the Astrals. They didn't listen."

Somnus looks to the black sky, as if seeing the stars beyond the Miasma. "They didn't want to kill Astrals. But when they thought of the Meteor, they wondered if something like that could ever happen again… or if something like the Astrals, some being from a faraway star, could one day come to Eos. Not in their lifetimes, but ages from now. And it scared them."

Elpis tries to wrap her head around the idea of other stars, other beings, besides what lives on Eos. She supposes it could be possible. Why should they be the only creatures in the entire universe? And what if it was a malevolent thing? A weapon that can not only battle such a thing that can travel between stars but also kill it would be horrifying, indeed.

For once, she feels some empathy with Somnus.

"And the thing about magitek," Somnus continues, his gaze on Ardyn's back, an unreadable expression on his face, "is that it will never be complete. There will always be new discoveries and new ways to advance it. And there will always be someone who wants to use it for the wrong purposes."

Elpis frowns. "That's a grim view of things."

"Is it?" Somnus looks at her. "All it took was one person speaking as you do about the Astrals to start a war against Ifrit and bring Solheim to ruin. All it took was one person deciding to use the magitek my parents helped create to battle the gods. One day, there may even be a magitek that can destroy the whole of Eos. Do you think it would be wise of us to continue on the path that leads to its creation?"

Elpis shakes her head, a bit dazed. "You speak of things of which I frankly have no knowledge. I have no answers for you. Maybe one day, what you say will come to pass. Maybe not. I choose to have more faith in people than that, but also to prepare for the worst.

With a small huff of frustration, Somnus looks away. "I do not understand how you came to be one of Bahamut's Chosen."

So much for their friendly moment of bonding. "Neither do I," Elpis replies drily.

"Is he boring you, Lady Elpis?" Ardyn calls from in front of them.

"No," Elpis says. To Somnus, she bows her head slightly. "Thank you for your sympathy. And for elaborating on your stance. I truly do appreciate it, even as I cannot entirely agree with it."

Suddenly, he reaches out to grab her arm. His grip isn't tight-he isn't quite that rude-but it's enough to make her stop. Elpis looks to his hand, then to his face, raising an eyebrow.

"You have five seconds to let go of me."

Somnus, unfortunately, shares his brother's trait of ignoring warnings. "It may not seem like it, but I love my brother, the same as you love your sister. He could save us all. But you might lead him to ruin."

Elpis rears back in indignation. " _Me_? Lead him to ruin, how?"

"You're a heretic, and if Ardyn is to have any hope of fulfilling his destiny, he cannot have someone beside him speaking sacrilegious words as you do." Somnus' frown deepens. "Everyone else sees how you look at each other. Do you mean to tell me there's nothing behind that?"

"That is none of your of your concern," Elpis says coolly. "And I will not _lead_ Ardyn anywhere. If he chooses a path, he will do so of his own accord. Don't you dare try to blame anything on me, Somnus Lucis Caelum."

A soft glow joins their firelight. Ardyn smiles tensely at Somnus, his gaze dropping briefly to his hand on Elpis' arm. "Trouble?" His tone is deceptively light.

Somnus lets go, staring hard at Elpis, who returns his look with one of her own. "No. Lady Elpis and I were merely coming to an understanding." He leaves before Ardyn can say anything else, going to join Crescentia.

"If you want to cut his fingers off," Ardyn says, "I can hold him down for you."

Elpis lets out a shaky breath. "I'm fine. Though Somnus seems to believe I'll lead you to ruin."

Ardyn raises his brow. "How utterly delightful. It would be a wonderful ruin if you were involved, I'm sure."

When he sees that, for once, his flirtations don't lift her mood, he becomes serious. "Somnus likes for things to be in their place. He sees no place for you amongst us or in Solheim."

"Finally, something on which we agree."

Ardyn steps in front of her and fixes her with an intense look. "He's wrong. Bahamut chose you for a purpose. What Somnus doesn't understand-or if he does, he hates it-is that you choose your own place, Lady Elpis. No one and nothing else can force you into something. Not even the Astrals."

How is it he knew exactly what to say to make her breath quicken and her cheeks burn?

"You have a high opinion of my power."

"I have a high opinion of you in general."

Elpis ducks her head to hide her smile and begins walking ahead. "I hope I live up to it, then."

Ardyn joins her side, a smile warming his features. "I think you already have."

* * *

Crescentia comes to Elpis as they make camp, helping light the fires that will encircle them to protect them from daemons. Elpis senses that the other woman has something she wishes to say, so she merely waits. As soon as the last fire is lit, Crescentia approaches.

"May I ask you something?"

"You may ask, but I cannot promise an answer."

"You wear a headscarf, as did your sister, but not your mother and not some of the other women or girls in your tribe. How is that decided?"

Elpis can almost feel Ardyn eavesdropping, though he hides it well. She chooses her words carefully. "Girls can choose whether or not to wear them. We begin doing so in our thirteenth year."

Crescentia hands her a rolled up pallet. "Is it a way to show modesty?"

"Somewhat. We decide who gets to see certain parts of ourselves. It's also a way of showing who belongs to what tribe and what family in said tribe. The patterns and jewels we wear mark us that way. And it's to keep the sand out of our hair. My mother never wore one, but Charis and I chose to do so as children. We can choose to stop wearing them at any time. Most women do, once they marry or have had sex."

"Oh."

Crescentia falls silent and Elpis wonders if this is really what she wanted to speak about. Finally Charis says, "I wanted to apologize."

Elpis stops rolling out the pallet. "For what?"

"I feel as if I only got in your way when you and Healer Ardyn were helping your people," Crescentia says. "Since I didn't think you had powers of your own, and because Solheim is safe enough for now, I thought I would be of more help there. But you're... clearly more powerful than I."

There's something uneasy in the way Crescentia admits this that puts Elpis on edge, though she dare not show it. "I think it's better to be safe than sorry," she says. "I know nothing of your strength. If you and Ardyn were to do the same thing, I'd likely be rebuffed by your magics as well."

A line appears between Crescentia's white brows. "But that's what I'm trying to say," she says slowly, "Healer Ardyn and I have tried that once before. Just to see if it would work. It didn't. My power glanced off of his as if it were nothing but a fly. But yours-it's almost as if you both joined together, like a woven tapestry, to create something far more powerful."

"Ah," Elpis says. "Well. I cannot speak for the gods, and I do not know their minds. They've given us these powers for a reason, and we must... trust in that."

Crescentia seems surprised. "You've come around to Som's way of thinking?"

She shrugs a shoulder. "Perhaps. When the evidence is right in front of you, it's a little harder to argue with." Then she asks, "Are you frightened of my power?"

It's a question Elpis has long since wanted to ask. She watches Crescentia carefully as she fidgets, toying with the end of a strand of white hair, looking everywhere but at Elpis.

 _The gods help this girl if she ever needs to lie to save her life,_ Elpis thinks. Even she is a slightly better liar than this.

"No," Crescentia says, finally meeting Elpis' gaze and smiling tensely. "Why should it? I don't fear Bahamut's power."

Elpis returns her smile with one of her own. "Good. I've no wish for you to be afraid of me."

They both let the lie settle between them and leave it where it rests. Elpis hopes they never have to put it to the test.

She finds Ardyn after their dinner, sitting by himself at the edge of the firelight. He's taken up first watch for them, cheerfully declaring he's gotten so used to traveling that it no longer tires him, so he may as well put his consciousness to good use. She sits next to him, closer than they've been before, but still leaving space between them. One day, maybe, she'll close that gap. Not tonight.

"Can't sleep, my lady?" He grins. "Don't trust me to protect you against any daemons that might stumble across us?"

"If I didn't trust you on that, I wouldn't have let you take watch. No, I trust you." The words, somehow far more intimate than she'd expected, fall between them. She glances behind them to make certain Crescentia and Somnus are asleep before she continues. "Ardyn... when you heal people, you take the daemons into yourself. Don't you?"

Ardyn stills, then forces his grin wider. "A rather unfair position you've put me in, Lady Elpis, where I cannot lie to you without it being extremely obvious."

"I saw it," Elpis insists. "When you healed Charis, I saw the Scourge going from her body into yours. And I never saw you get rid of it."

The grin falls, replaced by a wince, as Ardyn runs a hand through his long hair. "And yet, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. The daemons do not corrupt me as they do others. Such is my blessing."

Elpis frowns, studying him. Remembering the darkness that shadowed his eyes and ran like tears from them. She knows she did not imagine it. "And that's your plan? Keep hosting them in your body, in your soul, until you die?"

There's a tight twinge behind her eyes as she says it that makes her wince. She rubs at the space between her eyes. It almost felt as if she were having a vision, but then none ever came.

Ardyn, looking away from her, does not notice her discomfort. "Bahamut said you and I could return light to Eos. I intend to do that. If it means I must host every daemon in my body to save this star, then yes, I will."

"Bahamut asks too much," Elpis says, her voice a fierce whisper. "Has he even given you any idea how to go about such a task?"

"No," Ardyn says after a pause. "All in good time, I assume."

Elpis bites her tongue. Once she's certain she has herself under control, she says, "I'm sorry. Even after what I saw, what you-what we-did, it seems my faith is... fickle. I try to think as you and Somnus do, but then I think of how many have lost their lives to the Scourge, and I falter all over again."

Ardyn gives her a sympathetic look. "Faith is difficult. That's why it's called faith. You have to hope you've put your belief in the right things."

She makes a face that causes Ardyn to laugh quietly. "I would rather have solid proof that I've made the right choice. A habit of my upbringing, I suppose. I knew if I ever made the wrong choice, my decision would hurt those I was meant to take care of. I prefer to have all the information before me."

"And yet, even with that, there are things you cannot foresee," Ardyn says. "Things can always go wrong, even if you're prepared."

"I know."

They lapse into silence, staring out at the darkness surrounding them. Elpis is about to say goodnight when Ardyn speaks back up. "I realize you're traveling with us for now so that you can pick up supplies in Solheim before you head off to wherever you'll go next. But I would... very much like it if you stayed in Solheim for a time, my lady. With us." He clears his throat. "With me."

Elpis' voice is quiet when she answers. "As what?"

"That is entirely up to you," Ardyn says evenly. It doesn't disguise the tension in his shoulders. He's apprehensive of her answer, it seems. For all his bold flirting, when it comes to something more serious, he seems to be in unknown sands. He faces her and places a hand under her chin. "Say the word, Elpis, and I will be whatever you ask of me. If you say you never wish to see me again after this, I will accept that, though not without some complaint." A corner of his mouth lifts and she returns his smile at his humor. "And before you think I'm being entirely selfish, I think you could do good in Solheim."

She raises an eyebrow. "Not entirely selfish?"

He laughs. "My primary motivation is selfishness in this, I'll admit."

"I appreciate your honesty." His hand drops from her chin. "Give me time. I need to see if Solheim will accept me before I make any decisions."

"How could they not?"

She gives him a dry look. "Not everyone shares your high opinion of me."

"Pft." Ardyn waves a hand dismissively. "Then they'll simply have to change their minds."

Laughing quietly, Elpis stands and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Ardyn."

He blinks. "Not that I mind, but for what are you thanking me?"

"Just... for being yourself. And for seeing something in me where others do not. And for giving me time." She pauses, then says, "If the daemons ever become too much... you'll tell me, won't you? Let me carry some of the burden for you? Our powers are similar. Perhaps I could host some-"

Ardyn's answer comes quick and decisive, almost sharp. "No." An awkward beat passes between them before he says, "I assure you, I'm fine, Elpis. You've no need to worry."

 _He's lying._ Elpis lets her hand fall away from his shoulder. Now she knows, without a doubt, that it is far more serious than Ardyn had led her to believe at first.

"I will worry all I want," she says. "And if I think the Scourge is too much for you, I won't wait for your permission to do something about it. I will help you, whether you like it or not."

Ardyn lets out an unsteady chuckle. "Ah, and now you turn your ferocity on me."

"I'm only ferocious to those I care about."

She walks away before he can say anything, leaving him with his back to the light, his gaze out at the darkness.

* * *

Their return to Solheim is met with silence. The few people out take note of Ardyn and welcome him back, as well as Somnus and Crescentia, but only give Elpis guarded looks. She accepts their suspicion without complaint. Frankly, it's familiar to her. Solheim has become like her tribe in that it no longer blindly trusts outsiders.

Ardyn gives Elpis a pallet and a room to share with Crescentia in the ruined house he shares with Somnus. She's hesitant to accept at first, but once she realizes that everyone else lives in the house, she relents. Adeo and Deus are often gone; Adeo to the remains of Solheim's army to help with the rebuilding of the city, Deus to the library to restore whatever is left of the literature there. It helps the tiny house to not feel too crowded, though it shames her to think that way.

After only a day of rest, Somnus joins his friends, absent from the house for hours at a time. Elpis secretly hopes it's not because of her.

There's nothing left for her to do except decide where to go from Solheim. The first week or two passes in a sleepy blur as they rest from their journey. All of them, that is, except for Ardyn. He's gone from the house often, and sometimes Elpis wakes up long enough to hear him return from a day spent helping the people of Solheim.

Once, he returns far later than usual. Instead of going to the room he shares with Somnus, she hears him out in the gathering room.

Already awake, Elpis puts her headscarf on and leaves her room. She finds him before the hearth, staring into the fire. Exhaustion lines his body, his shoulders slumped, his long hair a tangled mess from having his hands run through it so many times. She pauses, goes back into her room and gets out a brush, then returns to sit behind him.

"Did I wake you, Elpis?" he asks wearily, not turning to look at her.

"No. I was already awake."

"Mm."

Elpis begins brushing his hair, somehow slipping into the intimacy of it easily. Ardyn does not stop her. "Tomorrow," she says decisively, "I'll come with you."

"You don't have to."

"Of course I do," Elpis insists, giving his shoulder a hard poke. He smiles slightly, but does not laugh. "Oh, dear," she says quietly. "I'm afraid my humor is far too lacking to help in this situation."

That earns her a chuckle, at least. Ardyn leans his head back, almost to her chest, then stops. From her vantage point, she can see a bit of dark stubble along his jaw. The urge to run her hand over it takes her a moment to power through. She focuses on working a tangle out of his hair instead.

"You need to rest," Elpis says, her tone gently chiding. "How can you expect to continue helping people if you're collapsing from exhaustion?"

"Ah," Ardyn says, placing a hand over his heart dramatically. "My greatest weakness: Logic."

"Yes," Elpis says drily, "I've seen you fall to it before. That's why I'm using it now."

He winces as she pulls at another tangle. She murmurs an apology and sets the brush aside, then gathers his hair up with a leather cord. "Truly, Ardyn. I'm worried for you. Let me join you and help with what I can."

"Well," he says after a long pause, "I don't think I could stop you if you truly wanted to help."

"You couldn't," Elpis says, "but don't let that be the only reason you're saying yes."

Ardyn shifts away from her, putting a good amount of space between them. Before she can ask if something's wrong, he lies back and rests his head on her lap. Surprised, she can only stare down at him as he grins up at her.

"How can I not take more care of myself when I see how much my weariness distresses you?"

Elpis tries not to smile, instead shaking her head. "I think you're not taking the right lesson from this."

"Mm," he says, closing his eyes and shifting until he's comfortable.

"Using me as a pillow now, are you?"

"You make a very nice one." Ardyn opens one eye and gazes up at her. "I'll move if you wish."

Rationally, Elpis knows it's the bare minimum to ask, and that she shouldn't be so touched by his continual assurance he has her consent. Emotionally, however, her heart warms every time he seeks to make her comfortable.

Elpis shakes her head and after a moment of consideration, runs a hand through his hair. Ardyn starts in surprise, opening both eyes to stare up at her. She smiles down at him.

"Rest, o Great Healer," she says, almost teasingly. "You'll need your strength."

Ardyn slowly smiles back, his lids half closed in contentment, almost like a cat. He doesn't immediately fall asleep, instead gazing up at her with what Elpis cannot deny is blatant adoration. Like she's some sort of goddess and he's confused as to why she chose him, of all people.

It's not a bad way to be looked at.

When Ardyn has fallen into a deep sleep, Elpis says over her shoulder, "Please stop eavesdropping. I don't appreciate it."

There's a pause, then Somnus appears from behind the curtain separating the rooms. He has the grace to look sheepish. He gives Ardyn a worried look.

"Is he well?"

"Tired," Elpis says. "Has he always pushed himself this hard?"

"Always," Somnus says. "Even when we were children. He acts as if he doesn't care, as if he's lazy, but then I would find him up late into the night, going after whatever caught his attention."

"Hm," Elpis says, studying his face briefly as he sleeps. Then she looks away, all too aware of how creepy she's being. "You're very lucky to have him as a brother."

Somnus answers tentatively. "So I've been told."

Elpis waits a beat, then asks, "Do you hate him?"

Somnus jerks in surprise. "No," he answers immediately, so quickly she knows it to be the truth. Then he lets out a slow breath. "But I can't say it's been easy to be in his shadow. One day he was just my brother, my annoying but caring and kind elder brother. Then he became Bahamut's Chosen, the Great Healer of Solheim, and he began… withdrawing. As if he feels he's better than us now."

 _No,_ Elpis thinks. _That's not what it is at all. He's trying to protect you. Because he knows this will likely kill him, in the end._ She remembers the distance she'd kept between herself and the other girls of the tribe. It cannot be easily explained, and even if it could, those who have not had to keep themselves separate from others can never understand it.

"Sometimes, I simply want my brother back."

"You still have him."

Somnus gives her an exasperated look. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I also know that he doesn't feel as if he's better than any of you," Elpis says.

"Yes, you've become very close."

"I'm aware of your disapproval."

Somnus is silent as he thinks, before saying, "Crescentia believes the gods brought you together for a reason. I believe the same, but while she thinks it's for a good reason, I'm not certain I feel the same."

"So you've stated before."

"I was wrong to put it in such a harsh term," Somnus allows with a bow of his head. Elpis supposes it's the closest she'll get to an apology from him. "I only worry about him. He doesn't worry about himself enough, so someone else has to pick up the slack."

Elpis considers her words before she says, "To be honest with you, Somnus, I think you're jealous that Ardyn is looking more to me for comfort and support than he is you. I gather it's been the two of you for a long time, and I respect that, truly I do. But just as you have other friends, Ardyn is allowed friends of his own, who help him in ways you might not be able to."

She can almost hear his thoughts about what sort of 'comfort' she provides. Thankfully for his continued existence, Somnus does not voice them. Instead he runs a hand through his black hair, looking so much like his brother for a moment that Elpis wants to smile.

"Just… take care of him, then," he finally says. "Because if you don't, I swear to the gods, I will never forgive you."

"I wouldn't forgive myself, either," Elpis says quietly, gazing into the hearth. She hears Somnus walking away and feels the tension leave her body. They will never be close, she and Somnus, but perhaps a tense understanding is possible.

She wants it to be possible, for Ardyn's sake, if not her own.

* * *

When Ardyn wakes, Elpis makes them both breakfast before they set out. She can smell rain in the air, though with the sky blackened, it's hard to tell if there are clouds in the sky or not.

Ardyn frowns up at the sky. "Not exactly the welcome I was hoping Solheim would prepare for you, my lady. We can stay here, if you'd rather."

Elpis laughs quietly. "I can handle rain. Unless," she adds innocently, "you're worried about your hair?"

He looks shocked. "Are you implying I'm _vain_ , Elpis?"

"You're right, I shouldn't imply something that is quite obviously a fact."

Ardyn laughs, throwing his head back. Gods, but she loves to make him laugh. "You put such careful work into it, I'd hate to see the rain ruin it."

"Ah, yes," Elpis says, "it was very difficult to brush and tie it back."

"Hours of work, gone like that." He snaps his fingers. "Truly, though, if you wish-"

She gives him a gentle shove. "Stop trying to get me to stay behind."

Ardyn frowns. "I thought I was being rather subtle."

"Or maybe I just know your tricks by now."

"Hmm," Ardyn muses. "Then I'll have to come up with new ones."

They set off together. He walks slower than usual, and at first Elpis thinks he's trying to stall. Then she realizes he's matching his pace to hers so that she doesn't have to walk too fast to keep up with his longer stride.

A quietly caring man, indeed. Elpis smiles to herself.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Elpis asks, "So where are we off to first?"

"There's a young girl with an infection in her lungs," Ardyn says. "I'm going to look in on her. She seems to be responding to the healing I've done to her, but-" He stops as they come across a tiny wall of rubble that blocks their path. With no other way around, they've no choice but to climb over. Once Ardyn is over, he continues: "It's always out of my hands, in the end."

"And in the gods'," Elpis says quietly. She picks her way carefully over the rocks "I hadn't realized you also healed normal illnesses. Foolish of me, I suppose."

"The Scourge still consumes most of my time," Ardyn says, helping her over the rubble. His hand is warm in hers. "But as long as I have the ability to help with smaller things, then I see no reason why I shouldn't."

Elpis stumbles on the last rock and falls, hitting Ardyn's torso with an 'oomph.' He barely moves, as if she weighs nothing more than a feather, and his arms encircle her.

"Are you hurt?"

"Ah... no." She tilts her head back to look up at him. They're so close she can see the darker flecks of gold in his irises, and count the dark lashes that frame them. Beneath her hand, she can feel his heart beating.

 _No, I'm definitely not hurt._

If she lets it, Elpis knows the moment can shift in an instant. She could close the gap between their faces. She could change things, right this very second.

"Thank you," she murmurs instead, pulling away. She twists her foot, looking to it instead of to Ardyn's disappointed face. "I'm not usually clumsy."

"We all have our moments."

When she looks back up, his usual lazy smile is back in place, and Elpis curses herself for a fool.

They continue on their way. Ardyn falls into a story about a far ago hero named Gilgamesh, to whom Adeo has long admired. Elpis loses herself in the sound of his voice. If the Scourge is ever cleansed, he would make a good storyteller.

Soon, they come upon one of the few buildings still standing intact. Torches light the entire outside of it, showing off the pale stone that makes up the walls. Elpis runs her fingers over deep marks in the stone and her fingertips come away covered in soot. Solheim will always have scars from Ifrit's death.

The pale blue front door opens at Ardyn's knock, sticking briefly, and reveals an older woman with light brown skin. Wrinkles weigh down the skin on her face, making her seem ancient. Her soft white hair is pulled back from her face and her dark brown eyes take in Elpis suspiciously. Elpis bows her head low as one should to an elder.

"Lady Therasia," Ardyn says. "How good it is to see you again."

"Hmph," the woman says. "Just get in here and see to Sollemnia." Therasia walks away, leaving Ardyn and Elpis in the doorway.

At Elpis' raised brow, Ardyn scratches the back of his head. "Ah, she thinks I'm a scoundrel, apparently."

"So... you're not?"

Ardyn smirks and taps the underside of her chin. "Would you prefer it if I were?"

"Stop flirting and get to work!" Therasia orders from inside the house, causing them both to wince.

Elpis follows Ardyn into the home. The floor is a mosaic of color, reds and golds, and it takes Elpis a moment to realize they're in a pattern of flames. Some of the pieces have broken free, leaving behind a black, empty spot, while others are badly cracked. She tries not to read any meaning into that. They go down a long hallway until Therasia stops in front of a door painted with faded blue flowers that Elpis recognizes but cannot immediately place.

Ardyn lowers the hood on his white robe as Therasia opens the door, revealing a room in soft shades of pink and white. A brown cat rests by the window, glancing up at them briefly before deciding they're not interesting enough to stand up for and returning to its nap. A young girl with tan skin sits on her pallet by the same window, playing with a cloth doll in a white dress.

She smiles broadly when she sees Ardyn. "Healer Ardyn!"

"And there's my favorite patient," Ardyn says as he steps into the room. Elpis glances at Therasia to see if she's allowed to follow, but when she's met with only another glare, she decides she doesn't want permission and goes to sit beside Ardyn. If the old woman has a problem with it, she can deal with it herself.

The girl, Sollemnia, looks at Elpis curiously. "Who're you?"

Elpis smiles. "I'm Elpis Maelen, of the Izu-" Belatedly, she realizes her mistake. She is no longer of the Izunia tribe.

"She's a friend of mine," Ardyn says, smoothly covering her misstep. "She's here to help. How is your cough, my lady?"

Sollemnia frowns. "I don't cough as much, but my lungs still hurt a lot."

"And when she does cough, there's still phlegm coming up," Therasia says, having joined them in the room. She crosses her arms over her chest and looks at Ardyn critically. "Her breath is still short. Shouldn't she be better by now?"

Elpis bristles slightly, though her tone is mild as she says, "Healer Ardyn knows what he's doing, esteemed lady."

Therasia snorts but says nothing else as Ardyn sets to work. He places his hand flat against Sollemnia's chest, the familiar glow of his magic emerging a second later. He glances back to Elpis. "Join me, my lady?"

Feeling the heat of Therasia's glare on her back as she nods, Elpis puts her hand on Ardyn's wrist. She doesn't immediately bring forth her powers, instead closing her eyes and waiting for Ardyn's signal.

"Don't be shy." She can hear the smile in his voice. "I want to show you the infection."

Elpis nudges at the light inside of her, trying not to cringe as it quickly flares to life. It joins with Ardyn's power happily, twining around it, following it into Sollemnia's chest, until Elpis can see both lungs illuminated clearly in her mind. They're full of Ardyn's light, but once Elpis looks closer, she can see the spots of darkness inside them.

"The body has ways to fight against these things naturally," Ardyn says, clearing away some of the blackness as he talks. "But some illnesses are stronger than others, and some bodies are weaker than others. Even with my help, these things can persist. I've cleared the infection several times these last few days, but-"

It's more than that, Elpis realizes. Sollemnia's lungs are scarred from heat. She must have been a baby when Ifrit unleashed his rage on Solheim, and she bears the mark of his wrath. Her lungs will always be weak and quick to sicken. One day, she'll likely die from them.

Ardyn must know this as well, yet he keeps doing what he can for Sollemnia. Elpis' heart aches for him. No wonder he's exhausted when he comes home each day. Not only physically, but his very spirit must be exhausted as well.

She guides her magic to join his more tightly, and though she can feel his surprise, he doesn't stop her. Instead, they cleanse Sollemnia's lungs of the infection. Ardyn helps Elpis as she coaxes out the rest of the phlegm. Sollemnia has tears in her eyes when they finish, but her color has improved, and there's no longer a wheeze in her throat as she breathes.

Ardyn removes his hand and sits back. Elpis keeps hers on his wrist. Their powers are no longer joined, but she still feels close to him as if they were.

"How are you feeling now, my lady?" Ardyn asks Sollemnia.

She takes a deep breath, then blinks in surprise. "It doesn't hurt anymore!"

"Good," Ardyn says, ruffling her brown hair. She laughs in delight, grabbing at his hand to push him away. "You should keep resting. I'll be by again tomorrow to check in on you."

Ardyn stands and helps Elpis to her feet. Therasia leads them out and leads them to the entrance. Elpis stops as Ardyn walks outside. When he gives her a questioning look, she merely smiles and says, "I'll be out in a moment."

"Are you going to gossip about me, my lady?"

Elpis keeps a straight face. "Absolutely."

"Wonderful!" Ardyn grins as he turns away. "Make it positively scandalous, Elpis."

When he's left, Elpis turns to Therasia. "Has he told you that Sollemnia's lungs are badly scarred?"

Therasia momentarily looks surprised, then scoffs. "No. The fool has too soft a heart and thinks I'm too old to know when something is being kept from me. I've been taking care of Sollemnia since her parents died. I was there when Ifrit tried to kill us all. Of course I know her lungs are scarred."

"Then you know," Elpis continues softly, "that one day she'll likely-"

"Die from it? Yes." Therasia sniffs, though not from sadness. "Why is it always the women who have to be the strong ones? That boy needs to grow a backbone." She points at Elpis' face, her expression stern. "And don't you be that backbone for him. He needs to shoulder his own responsibility."

Elpis raises her hands plaintively. "I wasn't trying to be."

"No, no woman ever _intends_ to be," Therasia says. "Still, at least you're honest. He won't accept payment, but you should." Before Elpis can protest, Therasia pulls out something golden from the purse on her hip. "Take it."

In her tribe, it would have been considered rude to reject a gift from an elder, and yet Elpis tries to find some way to do just that. She realizes she has no choice but to take the trinket from Therasia's hand. A small medal in the shape of the sun rests in her palm. The metal is surprisingly light, the golden a warm hue. She aches so intensely for sunlight that for a moment she can't speak. When she finds her voice, she says, "Are you certain?"

"What use do I have for it?" Therasia snorts. "It isn't worth anything, especially now. It's been weighing down my purse for years. Seems as though you could find some purpose for it."

Elpis bows deeply. "Thank you."

"Oh, shut up and get out. Your soft hearted fool is waiting."

Elpis tucks the medal into her own purse and leaves the house. Ardyn waits for her only a few paces away. He smiles brightly when he sees her, and Elpis cannot help but smile back.

 _Therasia is wrong,_ she thinks as she rejoins Ardyn's side. _He's not soft hearted._ No one with a soft heart would take up the heartbreaking work of being a healer, even without Bahamut's gift. Ardyn's heart is the strongest part of him.

Together, they spend the time in Solheim. Ardyn seems to show her the entire city, painting pictures so vividly with only his words that she has no problem envisioning the towers that once touched the sky. It's only after they're done with an elderly patient of his that the clouds finally lets loose. Rain soaks them within seconds. Unable to keep from laughing, they both run for cover, Ardyn leading her to a small building that still has part of its roof. She has no idea what it housed before the fall, as nothing remains inside, but she thanks the gods for the remaining roof.

"Well," Elpis says once she's caught her breath, "you did warn me."

"So I did. My poor hair."

He starts a small fire to light their tiny room. Elpis sits in front of it, as close as she dares in the hopes of getting somewhat dry. The small flames don't seem to make much of a difference.

Ardyn unhooks his white healer's robe and lies it flat on the ground in an attempt to get it to dry. Elpis' mind goes completely blank as she sees how his darker robe underneath sticks to his skin, his muscles outlined underneath the fabric. His hair, too, sticks to the back of his neck, with water dripping from the loose strands in front. "I apologize for not having anything to dry off with. Perhaps if I looked inside-"

"No," Elpis says abruptly, causing him to fall silent. She licks her lips. "No, it's fine."

There's a tense silence between them, waiting for one spark to change into something more. Elpis considers the man before her. The man who makes her laugh, who confides his worries to her, who dares to be vulnerable with her. The man whose heart holds so much love that he's prepared to one day lay down his life for Solheim's people. Who fought for her not only against his own brother, but her mother and her tribe's traditions. The man who was great even before Bahamut chose him.

Elpis considers what her mother said to her before she left. Not only could Ardyn likely die from his work as a healer and his quest to bring back the sun, but so could she. And yet, it's Ardyn's death that makes her see red. Would she allow his destiny to play out as the gods planned? Would she allow them to take this man from her, if his life came to that end?

The answer comes so quickly that Elpis knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that she loves Ardyn.

 _No._ No, she would not allow the gods to take him from her. She would kill them first.

 _Oh, you utter fool,_ Elpis thinks to herself. _How could you have ever doubted this?_

Her choice made, Elpis holds his gaze as she pulls her golden headscarf from her hair. It falls to the ground behind her. Ardyn's eyes widen, for once struck silent. She holds out a hand to him and waits.

Slowly, he takes it. He comes to kneel before her, his gaze flitting from her hair to her face and back again. Ardyn runs his fingers through the strands, letting out a slow breath. She leans into his touch and closes her eyes, his touch causing her to shiver. When he puts his hand to the back of her neck and brings her forward, she doesn't stop him, instead tilting her head up.

His kiss warms her far more than the tiny fire beside them ever could. When he pulls away, he presses their foreheads together, laughing shakily. "How I've waited to do that," he says quietly. "And how it exceeded anything I could have imagined."

Elpis nudges their noses together, smiling. Then, feeling brave, she lowers her face to his neck and licks the rainwater from his skin. Ardyn's voice rumbles against her tongue as he lets out a quiet growl.

"Then do it again," she says as she pulls away to gaze up at him once more.

He eyes her hungrily as his hands trail up her spine to the laces of her dress. He pulls at one slowly and her wet dress loosens from her body. "Gladly."

And in the ruins of Solheim, Elpis and Ardyn create their own light in the darkness together.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

I'd meant to have this uploaded way sooner, but in the middle of writing it, a feral rescue cat of mine managed to bite through my Kevlar wildlife gloves while I was trying to get him into a carrier to get him to the vet. My right pinkie finger had zero movement in it for a few days there, and the rest of my hand was so swollen that it hurt to write.

(The cat is fine. We give each other a respectful amount of space now.)

Anyway, everyone have a happy holidays. I hope you enjoy this second part.

The playlist for this part:

1\. Blindness by Metric  
2\. Pray for Me by the Weekend and Kendrick Lamar for the Black Panther soundtrack  
3\. All the Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA, again for the Black Panther soundtrack. This is also where the chapter title comes from.  
4\. Empire by Of Monsters and Men  
5\. 100 Years by Florence + the Machine  
Bonus track: Bedroom Hymns by Florence + the Machine


	3. ELPIS AETERNA

_In hindsight, it's easy to see where our end began. Isn't that always the way of things?_

 _There are those who would say I should be happy with the time Ardyn and I had together. And we were happy for a while. We had good years together, it's true._

 _But I am a selfish woman, and greedy, and I cannot be content with the meager years we had, happy though they were. Not when I know now that the gods were moving us like toys in a game. Not when I know how it all ends. How can I, when I know we should have had long lives together?_

 _Perhaps if there were no such thing as destiny, I could more readily accept our tragedy. Crescentia said that destiny gave people's lives meaning and helped them cope with tragedy. If it's all for some grand purpose, then it's easier to accept the pain that comes with living._

 _She would be disappointed in me for my inability to cope with my fate. I suppose that's why she ended up being the Oracle, and I ended up dead._

 _Looking back, it's easy to see where it ended._

 _In my and Ardyn's case, it began with a nightmare.  
_

* * *

"No!"

Elpis wakes with a shock at Ardyn's shout. Instinctively she reaches for the stave that rests against the wall near their pallet. It isn't until she sees that Ardyn's still sleeping that she instead reaches for him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Ardyn? Ardyn, wake up."

For a brief moment, her hand glows white over Ardyn's skin. Then, with a panicked yell, Ardyn's up in a flash, slapping away her arm. They lock gazes for only a brief second before Ardyn growls and pins her to the floor, arm on her shoulders.

Heart in her throat, Elpis tries to pry his arm off her shoulders. The look in his eyes terrifies her. There's no recognition in them at all.

"Ardyn!"

Somnus runs into the room and grabs Ardyn by the shoulders, hauling him off her. Ardyn fights against his brother, something like an inhuman growl emanating from his chest.

"What-" Somnus shouts as Ardyn pushes him away and slams him against the stone wall. Momentarily stunned, Somnus drops to the ground.

Elpis stands and rushes over, taking Ardyn's face in her hands and forcing him to look up at her. "Ardyn. Look at me. Shh, my love. Look at me."

Finally, his amber eyes focus on her face. Slowly, the sleep falls away from them, as does the confused panic.

"El," he breathes out shakily, raising trembling hands to her shoulders. "El, you're-you're all right-you're not-"

Over the top of his head, Elpis shares a look with Somnus. Without a word, he stands to his feet and leaves as Crescentia comes in.

"What happened?" she asks.

Elpis shakes her head as she hugs Ardyn's shoulders while he clings to her waist. "I don't know. Please, go help Somnus make some tea." She has no idea if tea will help with whatever Ardyn is going through, but mostly she just wants everyone out of the room so she can speak to Ardyn alone.

Crescentia leaves, and Elpis kneels before Ardyn. Though his breathing has slowed, it's clear he's still deeply rattled. "Ardyn," she says quietly, brushing hair from his face, "what's wrong?"

"I-" He shakes his head, wincing. "It... was a nightmare. Thank the gods. Just a nightmare."

Elpis frowns. "You woke up screaming," she says, without reprimand. "It was a powerful nightmare."

His hand, still trembling, comes up to caress her cheek. "It was you," he says quietly. "You were back in the desert, and the sun was shining on you. You were beautiful." A tremor runs through his body. "And then you turned into a daemon. I had to-I had to kill you."

Her mouth opens, but no words come out. Then she manages a shortlived smile. "Well. As you can see, I'm not a daemon. You're right, it was only a nightmare."

Somnus returns with the tea and hands both Ardyn and Elpis cups. They share another look while Ardyn drinks his, and Elpis nods briefly. Though he's clearly not happy to do so, Somnus leaves them both, closing their bedroom door behind him.

They take their tea in silence, Ardyn's trembling slowly subsiding, Elpis' discontent growing. When they set aside their cups, Elpis says, "It's getting worse."

Ardyn buries his face in his hands. "El-"

"Don't 'El' me," she says firmly. "Ardyn, you're sleeping less and less as the nights go by. And when you _are_ sleeping, you're having nightmares. You just pinned me to the ground because you thought I was a daemon-"

Ardyn looks up at her in horror. "I did what?"

Cursing herself, Elpis shakes her head. "I'm fine. You didn't hurt me."

"Gods." Ardyn stands and moves away from her, running his hands through his hair, beginning to pace about the room. "I'm sorry, El. I-gods." With another growl, Ardyn punches the wall. Blood trails down his hand as he curses.

Taking up a rag, Elpis goes over to him. When he backs away from her, she merely raises an eyebrow. "Ardyn. You won't hurt me. Give me your hand."

Reluctantly, Ardyn steps closer to her and lets her tend to his injury. After a moment he says, "That was incredibly stupid of me, wasn't it?"

"It wasn't your smartest move, no," Elpis says lightly. She takes hold of his hand once she's wrapped the wound up. When nothing happens, she frowns down at it, wondering if she imagined her healing light in the confusion of Ardyn's waking. "But," she continues, "I imagine your pride will be wounded longer than your hand."

"Mm," Ardyn says, hesitantly placing his hands on her hips and pulling her forward until they touch. His hands are gentle, as if he fears hurting her again. He presses his forehead to hers and closes his eyes. "Forgive me?"

"You weren't in your right mind," Elpis says. "There's nothing to forgive."

"Say it anyway."

Elpis relents. "I forgive you, Ardyn." They stay like that for a long while, merely breathing the other in, taking comfort from the solidity of each other. Then she says, "You have to let me take some of the daemons."

Pulling away, Ardyn shakes his head. "No."

"They're killing you," Elpis says, a note of fear in her voice. "Do you have any idea what it's like to stand by and watch you suffer when I know I can help?"

"And do you have any idea what it would be like to see you suffer in the same way because of me?" Ardyn shoots back. "I will not allow it, El."

"Don't treat me like something you can order around," Elpis says. "I've done as you asked and I have waited, Ardyn, I've waited seven years for you to trust me enough to let me help. I've put my trust in you and in the gods. But I am putting my foot down now."

Instead of responding, Ardyn dresses quickly, his wrinkled healer's robe thrown hastily over his long tunic and breeches. "It's not a matter of trust," he says at length as he's tying his hair back. Dark stubble lines his jaw, and it occurs to Elpis she hasn't seen him shave in a few days, nor has she helped with such a task. "I'm trying to protect one of the few precious things left to me. You will never know the taint of the Scourge in your soul so long as I am alive, Elpis, and that is my final decision."

He leaves without another word, leaving Elpis to fume in silence. _Gods, the utter stubborness of that man!_

And yet, guilt weighs her down as well.

Because what Ardyn does not know is that she already carries the mark of the Scourge within her.

* * *

It happens by accident. She doesn't even entirely remember how she and Ardyn come to be apart that night. They begin together, Ardyn tending to his patients, she giving out much needed supplies that people need, such as fabric or food. A year has passed since she came to live in Solheim, and because of her frequent outings with Ardyn, the people of Solheim now know her. They no longer turn away in suspicion of her but instead greet her happily.

She still carries the sun medal from Therasia in her purse. It's the only payment she's ever accepted for her help.

Somehow, they come to part ways. And in the time she and Ardyn are apart, a woman finds her.

"You-" The woman starts, then stops, uncertain. She's white, pale from lack of nourishment, her bones all too visible underneath her skin. Two children trail behind her while one rests against her back, bundled in a shawl.

Alarmed, Elpis motions for her to sit right where she is. "Rest, my lady," she says. She pulls out a flask of water mixed with ingredients to restore energy. "Drink this, slowly. I am Elpis Maelen, of the Lucis Caelum family. Have you come seeking Healer Ardyn?"

The woman nods weakly. Behind her, a little girl with wide grey eyes stares at Elpis blankly. Beside the girl is a boy with curly blond hair. Elpis hands them small portions of food, which they eat greedily.

"My name is Iustina," the woman says. "These are my children, Amabilia-" She motions to the girl, "-Justus-" this time to the little boy, "and Delphina." Iustina unties the makeshift harnass she's using to carry Delphina. The girl is older than her siblings, and even though she looks to weigh nothing, her mother's body must ache from carrying her.

"You're from Tenebrae?" Elpis guesses. The blonde hair and blue eyes seem to be a widely shared trait in that part of the world.

"We are," Iustina says. "My husband and I heard tales of Healer Ardyn and-and of you, my lady. Bahamut's Chosen. Please," she says, voice cracking, "Delphina has the Scourge. We came seeking salvation."

Elpis moves the cloth away from Delphina's body, wincing as she sees how far along the Scourge is. Her veins run dark beneath pale skin. The girl is sound asleep, but a deep crease lines her brow, as if her dreams are troubled.

"You've come far," Elpis says. She notes that there is only Iustina and her children before her now. "And your husband...?"

Iustina's head bows. "A daemon killed him a fortnight ago."

"I am so sorry."

She cannot say why she doesn't stand and run for Ardyn. Something keeps her rooted to the ground beside Delphina, makes her take off the gloves she wears to place her hands on Delphina's chest.

Iustina starts. "My lady-?"

"I will waste no time in seeking out Healer Ardyn when I am capable of healing your daughter, esteemed lady," Elpis says. "The Scourge is far advanced."

Iustina only nods, doing nothing to stop her, instead taking up her other two children in her frail arms. Elpis closes her eyes and, with practiced ease, draws up the light from within herself. Delphina's body begins to glow underneath her hands and, deep inside her soul, the Scourge screams with fury.

 _Hush,_ Elpis reprimands. Her light chases the darkness as it tries to run from her, gathering it up into a ball, and with a flick of her wrists, Elpis yanks it free of Delphina's soul.

The girl wakes with a gasp, her chest heaving. Elpis has no time to pay her any mind as the Scourge seems to scramble for a new place to rest. Before she can react, it sinks into her chest, prying its way to her heart. Gods, the pain-it brings tears to her eyes as the Scourge finds a new home within her soul. She cringes as it realizes this new home is not something it can mutate, but a cage meant to keep it locked away forever. And then, after a moment of indescribable rage, the Scourge sleeps.

Before her, Delphina lets out a quiet, "Mama?" Iustina holds her tightly, kissing her head over and over.

Elpis puts a hand to her heart, drawing in a deep breath. She can feel the weight of the Scourge behind her heart. And this is only one daemon - Ardyn has dozens, if not hundreds, more. How ever did he cope?

Iustina watches Elpis warily, drawing her children closer. She seems to sense something is amiss. Elpis clears her throat and smiles shakily. "I know of a place you can stay until you get back on your feet," she says as she slowly draws herself to standing. "If you intend to stay in Solheim, we can find a new house for you, and ways to help. We're still rebuilding after Ifrit's Betrayal, but there's plenty of space."

"Are you... all right, my lady?" Iustina hedges.

Elpis makes certain her peaceful expression never wavers. "I am, Lady Iustina. I'm Bahamut's Chosen. The Scourge cannot harm me."

It is only after she sees Iustina and her children to a safe home that Elpis takes the medal out of her purse and pins it to her yellow headscarf. She may not be Ardyn's wife, but what she told Iustina is the truth: She is Elpis Maelen of the Lucis Caelum family, healer of Solheim. She will never stop aching for her tribe, but neither will she deny the contentment and new life Solheim offers her.

Ardyn never notices the new darkness within her, and she never tells him.

And, when the people come to her first, Elpis heals them herself.

* * *

When Elpis emerges from their bedroom later, Ardyn is already gone. Somnus waits in the gathering room, stirring a pot of porridge. He glances at her briefly before sheepishly looking away.

"I'm sorry," he says, "I saw you without your headscarf."

Elpis blinks. "Oh," she says, throwing one end of the yellow fabric over her shoulder. Over the years, she's stopped wearing it in the close manner of a young girl and, instead, wearing it looser on her shoulders. She still only allows Ardyn to see her without it on. "It's fine," she says. "It's not as if we could have asked Ardyn to stop panicking while I put it on."

"Still," Somnus says. "I know it's important to you."

"In this case, Ardyn was more important. But... thank you," Elpis says. She takes up a bowl and allows Somnus to fill it up. Then, knowing he shares his brother's inexplicable fondness for bland food, she mixes it several dashes of spices and herbs. They eat together in silence until Elpis says, "He's getting worse."

Somnus stares at the fire, his expression far away. "I know."

Elpis stirs her porridge listlessly. "I-I don't know what to do. He won't listen to me. Any time I try, he rebuffs me. He seems to believe he's protecting me."

"He's always had that annoying habit."

"Do you think you can talk some sense into him?"

Somnus snorts lightly. "If he won't listen to you, he definitely won't listen to me." He hesitates. "But... I can try. He's being foolish, flying in the face of Bahamut's decision."

Elpis can't help but roll her eyes. "Forget Bahamut's decision. It's my decision that matters here," she says, without rancor. "Though, yes, you're right. He gave me these powers, and it's my choice to use them. I've been patient, but that patience isn't helping anyone, especially not Ardyn."

Unable to sit still any longer, Elpis stands. "Gods, Somnus. I feel as if he's dying and he won't let me save his life."

"Because he knows it might come at the cost of your own," Somnus says quietly. "And he could never forgive himself for that. He would rather die."

"Stupid man," Elpis says, trying not to cry. "Stupid, stubborn man."

She hears Somnus stand behind her and, a moment later, hesitantly put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He loves you," Somnus says. "And he has only two people he can say that about anymore. You, and myself."

 _And yet,_ Elpis thinks, _what's love without trust?_

Somnus' hand falls away. "Perhaps you should seek guidance from the gods," he says. "Maybe all these years they've been waiting for you to approach them instead of the other way around."

Elpis bites her tongue as Somnus takes up his sword and leaves to go about his routine. _If the gods have let us all wait for seven years for no reason other than that we need to go to them_ , Elpis thinks, _then what good are they?_

She cringes at the blasphemous thought and shakes her head, as if she can shake it out of her mind. Her faith is still fickle after all this time, it seems. Even if she were to approach the gods, would they even bother reaching out to her? Or would they find her lacking in some way? Would she be able to make herself heard?

 _I suppose there's only one way to find out,_ Elpis thinks. She picks up her basket full of food and other supplies and makes her way out of the house she shares with her tribe.

Fire lights her way through the new Lower City of Solheim. The ruins of the Old City tower over them, dark reminders of the gods' wrath. Elpis will never not be amazed at how humanity can adapt to anything. The first year or two of her stay in Solheim, it was like a haunted place, the people scarce and terrified of the night.

And yet, as the years went on, what choice did they have but to make do with their new Eos? They learned to live by firelight, learned to slowly trust in its warmth once again. They built new homes and buildings by it. Even Ardyn helped with the building, and the memory of his bare torso as he worked with the carpenters is something that still brings a smile to Elpis' face. (He has a very fine everything, not just a fine ass, as it turns out. At least in her opinion.)

Instead of despairing or panicking that this may be the end of humanity, they came together and made a new life for themselves. There was even a small market in the very center of the Lower City, protected by enough firelight to drive away even the most horrifying daemon. Iustina and her children sew clothes for the people of Solheim now. The last Elpis saw Delphina, she had even managed to catch the eye of a pretty girl who sold jewelry fashioned from old magitek.

Somehow, even when it seems to be the end of the world itself, life continues on. Elpis is amazed by her home every single day of her life.

And yet there is still a small part of her that thinks none of it should be necessary in the first place.

She makes her usual stops and drops off the supplies until her basket is mostly empty. Then she makes her way out of the Lower City and into the remains of the Old City, a ball of light guiding her way. A few stray animals run to her, dogs and cats mostly, and she breaks up the remains of her food to feed them. They're too wary to come into the new city, but Elpis has hope that, with time and very gentle care, she can convince them to become pets once again.

After a few minutes of traveling, she comes upon her destination: An old shrine set against the destroyed wall of Bahamut's church. It's long since abandoned as a new one has been set up in the Lower City. She usually visits that one, but today, she needs the peace and quiet of solitude. The new shrine is too busy, and what's more, Elpis is slightly embarrassed by the little dolls people have taken to making of her and Ardyn and setting on the altar there. She needs a clear, focused mind, not one distracted by adorable little woven Ardyns.

She kneels in front of the shrine and lights one of the remaining candles. Closing her eyes and clasping her hands in front of her, Elpis tries to figure out how exactly she needs to do this.

 _Forgive me,_ she thinks. _All this time, and I'm still like a naive child._

Memories of Ardyn keep flashing through her mind. His laugh, his smile, the way he looks when he's sleeping. The love and pride in his face when he looks out at the people of Solheim when he thinks no one is looking. How they've come to see him as a sort of leader. The vision of him as a king is still fresh in her mind even now.

Elpis loves him so much that sometimes it overwhelms her, makes her feel as if she might crack in half, for no one person should be able to contain this much love. The fact that he feels just the same about her will never cease to stun her.

 _Please,_ she begs. _Please. I cannot lose him. Please send me a sign, a vision, of some way to help him._

And, in the back of her mind, something she doesn't dare voice: _I don't care if the Scourge continues long after I'm gone, so long as Ardyn lives free of it until he's old and gray._

In stories, the gods usually appear with earth-shattering booms, or with other such hard to ignore signs. Elpis waits. Her prayer is met only with silence.

Shaking her head, she focuses harder. _Please,_ _Bahamut_. _Give me a sign. I will beg for as long as it takes. I cannot-I_ will not _-let the Scourge take Ardyn._

Elpis sits until she loses feeling in her feet and her knees scream with pain. She sits until she loses all sense of time. Her stomach rumbles with hunger and she barely notices it; if she needs to attend to nature, she doesn't pay it any mind. All that matters is finding some connection between her and Bahamut that will lead her to the answers.

And then-

It hits her like a strike of lightning, like one of Bahamut's swords slicing clean through her. A voice in her head pushes out every other thought, every other sense of her being, until it is the only thing left.

 _You've waited long for this meeting, O Chosen,_ the voice says, great and terrible and utterly ripping her apart. _Doubt plagues you still, and yet you come to me on supplicant knees nonetheless, hoping beyond hope that I will respond. That is the faith for which I have waited to see from you._

Dimly, Elpis realizes she's shrieking in pain, hands on her head. And yet, this is only right. To speak to the gods should not be a little thing. It should be agonizing, it should be something not at all done lightly. They exist in a realm far beyond her mortal comprehension-of course the mere sound of Bahamut's voice should feel as if she is dying.

And then, in her mind, an image takes shape. Ardyn, a crown on his head and wearing fine silks, laughs at a young girl sitting on his knee. The girl is enthusiastically telling him a story, the words lost to Elpis. What is not lost is the black curls on the girl's head, nor her amber eyes.

As if in a dream, Elpis feels herself walking up to the throne Ardyn sits upon. Beside it is an empty one, smaller but just as lavishly decorated. She can feel the silk on her skin and the unfamiliar weight of a crown on her head. Jewels hang from her headscarf. And when Ardyn looks up at her, his entire face lights up.

"Mama," the girl cries, jumping down from Ardyn's knee and rushing to Elpis. She grabs hold of her skirts and grins up at her happily. It's only then that Elpis sees her round belly and feel the weight of a babe inside her. "I was telling Papa about the secret room Pryna found-"

Elpis raises a brow at Ardyn. "A secret room, hm? You know, it was likely a secret for a reason."

"But it lead out to the forest, and then I found the prettiest bug, but I ate it by an accident!" The girl makes a face. "It was awful."

Ardyn hides his laughter behind his hand. Elpis pins him with a look, trying not to join in the laughter. "This is your daughter. She gets this from you."

"Me? I think not. We'll blame Uncle Somnus for this one."

Snorting, Elpis reaches down and picks the girl up. "Come, Aurea. It's time for little bug eating future Queens to eat an actual meal." She holds a hand out to Ardyn. "You too, Your Majesty. Come."

"As my Queen commands." Grinning, Ardyn takes her hand, and together they descend down the steps from their thrones. Only then does Elpis see that the room is shining brightly with sunlight.

The vision leaves her as suddenly as it came. Before she can recover, Bahamut's voice tears into her mind again.

 _When darkness veils the world, the King of Light shall come. Only this Chosen King can banish the darkness brought by plague and return light to Eos. The Oracle will bestow upon him the power of the gods and the True King will end the Long Night. Awaken us, O Chosen Oracle, and we will guide your True King's hand in banishing the evil that plagues our star. The Revelations await you._

And, like a gentle breeze, he's gone. Slipping from her mind as if he was never there.

Elpis lies on the ground for a long while, limbs weak, mind blank. All she can think of is the little girl in Ardyn's lap, the feeling of a babe in her belly, and a warmth only the sun can bring. A warmth she can barely recall the feeling of.

"Aurea," Elpis whispers, tears falling from her eyes. "Aurea Lucis Caelum."

Eventually, somehow, Elpis gets to her feet and makes her way back to the Lower City. She has no recollection of the journey; her mind is a haze, and the few times she is cognizant of her surroundings, she only sees two dogs leading her way, one black, one white. When she stumbles into the marketplace, she doesn't notice the hush that falls around her. The people stop and stare; Delphina begins to step forward, only to be held back by the pretty jewelry girl.

Elpis glances around, eyes dull, until her gaze lights upon Ardyn. And then, without conscious thought, she speaks:

"Only by the hand of the True King, Chosen by Light, shall our star be cleansed of the Scourge." Her voice is almost unrecognizable. "A King without a crown as yet, but who will lead us once more into the sun's embrace. O Chosen King, the gods call you to take their Revelations."

She manages only a small step in Ardyn's direction before she collapses.

* * *

When Elpis awakens, it's to the familiar warmth and scent of her and Ardyn's blanket. There's pressure in her head that makes her whimper.

"El?" Ardyn's voice, so quiet and gentle, guides her the rest of the way into consciousness.

Wincing at the firelight, Elpis turns her head away, feeling Ardyn's cool hand on her cheek. "Ardyn," she says, throat dry and voice raspy. Then, managing a small smile, she says, "I guess this time you get to call me a lazy bum."

Ardyn's laugh is weak, but it's a laugh all the same. He holds a cup of water to her lips and she drinks quickly, even as her throat feels as if it's covered in knives. He sets a cool, damp cloth on her forehead, which helps with the pressure a little.

"What happened?" he whispers.

Licking her lips, Elpis closes her eyes once more. "I went to Bahamut," she says. "And he granted me a vision."

Ardyn takes her hand in his, grasping it tightly. "And it was Bahamut who left you in this state?" There's a note of anger in his tone that Elpis cannot understand.

"I may have been overwhelmed," she allows. "But don't you see, Ardyn? He's finally given us our path. After so long, we know how to defeat the Scourge. You said yourself-" She coughs, and gods, it feels as if her throat has been ripped out by some savage beast. She remembers screaming during Bahamut's vision. Still, she continues on. "You said yourself that one day you would take the Revelations."

"Yes," Ardyn says slowly, hesitantly. "I did."

Unable to understand his mood, Elpis forces herself up. "I saw you," she whispers, her hands gripping Ardyn's shoulders and her forehead finding his. "I saw you, a King crowned upon a throne. The sun was shining on us all. And-and oh, Ardyn. There was a child."

Ardyn stills and pulls away from her. "You need to rest," he says, his voice blank. "I don't think you're in your right mind yet."

Frustrated, Elpis growls. "You're still not listening to me! Bahamut has told us what we must do, and we must do it. You are the True King, Ardyn. You will bring the sun back, just as Bahamut said. We'll be married. And one day there will be a little girl with your eyes and my hair named Aurea, and Eos will thrive once more."

He stands abruptly and steps away from her, turning his back on her. Elpis watches as he gathers up the few things he'd used on her, pours out the bowl of water, and cleans the cup she drank from, all in silence. Finally, when there's nothing left to do, he says in a hushed voice, "I don't know if I can do this, El."

She blinks, then softens. "Hey," she says, holding out her hands to him. "Come here."

Ardyn does as she asks, coming to kneel between her legs, burying his face in her neck. She holds him tightly and kisses his head. "I'm scared, too," she admits. "But what scares me more than the Revelations is the possibility of losing you to the Scourge. You're all I have left."

He lets out a shuddering breath, and she can feel tears on her skin. "What if I fail?"

"How could you? Our path has been chosen by the gods themselves. This is our destiny." She nuzzles his face, trying to smile. "Come, now. Where's that vain, arrogant man I love?"

Ardyn laughs weakly. "Only with you could I be this cowardly."

"Mmm," Elpis says, "a wise man once told me he prefers to think of that sort of thing as common sense."

"Now, see," he says, pulling away to smile at her, "you accuse me of being arrogant, but then refer to me as wise? I blame you for my ego."

"Hah! That ego was large long before I ever met you," she teases. "I merely gave up trying to pop it and decided I may as well see how big it could grow."

Ardyn slowly raises an eyebrow. "Are you certain you aren't referring to another part of my anatomy, El?"

Laughing, she playfully shoves him, and with that one joke, Elpis knows they'll be okay.

How could they not be okay? After all, the gods were shining their light on them alone. They were the Chosen, they knew their fates, and a little girl named after the sky was waiting for them.

Solheim was waiting for them.

* * *

"You're crazy," Adeo says.

"Well," Crescentia hesitates, "maybe not crazy, but it does seem a little-"

"-Preposterous," Deus cuts in.

Somnus glares at them. "When did you all become heretics?"

"When Lady Elpis received a vision telling her and Ardyn to undergo the Revelations, which could potentially destroy more of the world," Deus says, and Elpis has to admit he has a valid concern. "We've only just gotten Solheim back to her feet. The Revelations have utterly rearranged the very land before. This could destroy what little of the city we've managed to rebuild."

"And traveling to each sacred resting place of the gods would take too much time," Crescentia says. "I don't have the power needed to keep the Scourge at bay while you and Ardyn travel."

Even Somnus cannot argue with that. He runs a hand through his hair, sighing. "Maybe Lady Elpis should stay behind?"

Elpis shakes her head. "No. Bahamut told me to go as well. This journey is meant for both of us."

Somnus glances at Ardyn. He's remained silent throughout their conversation, his gaze fixed on the fireplace. "There were always going to be risks," Somnus says at length. "And sacrifices. Adeo, you and the army can hold back any daemons that appear, can't you?"

"Yes," Adeo says with a deep frown. "People won't go for it, though. You'd be asking them to sit and wait and let their family turn into daemons while you go off on what might be a wild chocobo chase."

"And what if you die during your journey?" Deus asks. "Then we'd be without any protection whatsoever."

Strangely calm, Elpis says, "We won't die. And if we did, Bahamut would choose someone else to wield the healing powers."

"That's not as comforting as you think it is," Crescentia frets, wringing her hands together. "You can't promise that he would, either."

Elpis laughs a little, looking at all of them with some amazement. "Don't you see? This is our destiny. Bahamut himself told me as much."

She sounds so certain, and yet, there's a part of her that hesitates every time she brings up their destiny. A sense of foreboding that will not leave her, no matter how much she reassures herself.

"It's not our decision in the end," Somnus says. "It's Lady Elpis' and Ardyn's."

Brought out of his thoughts by the mention of his name, Ardyn blinks and looks away from the fire. "We've not much choice." It's not at all the ringing endorsement of her plan that she was hoping for. He pinches the bridge of his nose and Elpis can't help but notice how much darker the circles under his eyes have gotten. "We must do something."

In the back of her mind, an idea sparks. Before she can think on it further or voice it, however, a scream from outside gets them all to their feet.

"Help us! Healer Ardyn, Lady Elpis!"

She and Ardyn are out the door before any of the others. Feet from them, a woman backs away from a man, and Elpis recognizes the slick, shiny substance growing on the man's body. The Scourge is turning him into a daemon.

 _Yes,_ the darkness within her soul whispers, _yes, let him turn, join us, join us._

 _Shut up,_ Elpis tells it.

She and Ardyn approach carefully, uncertainly. For the truth of it is, neither one of them have cured a person from the Scourge when it's so far advanced. They have never brought someone back from the very brink of becoming a daemon.

"Stay back," Ardyn tells the woman, and Adeo pulls her further away from the man. "What is his name?"

"Ephesius," the woman says, and cringes when the man lets out a daemonic cry.

"Ephesius," Elpis says, holding out her hands. "We're going to help you. Healer Ardyn and I-"

The man stills completely, fixing glowing eyes first on her, then on Ardyn. "You," he says, his voice garbled. "The son of the people who created magitek."

Bewildered, Elpis looks to Ardyn. His expression is hauntingly calm. "I am."

Hissing, Ephesius moves away, the Scourge dripping from him. "Don't touch me. My brother went to your parents for help." Crying out in pain, Ephesius grabs his head. His hands have already become daemonic claws. "He died there. You'll do the same to me."

"I won't," Ardyn says evenly. "I am sorry for your loss, Ephesius, but I am not my parents. Please, let me help you. I can cure you."

Ephesius roars as Ardyn approaches and swings wildly, managing to slice open Ardyn's arm. And then it's too late. The Scourge overcomes Ephesius, mangling his body, breaking his bones and muscles and recreating them as something different. The daemon wails at the light that surrounds it, then rushes at Ardyn.

"No!" Elpis shouts, only to be held back by Somnus.

One moment Ardyn is standing in the path of the daemon and the next he's behind. The daemon runs through the magenta outline left behind by Ardyn's warp, then slowly turns around until it spots him once more.

"Som, take Elpis and get away from here," Ardyn says. With a flick of his hands and the sound of breaking glass, weapons outlined in magenta appear all around him. His Armiger keeps the daemon back briefly as Ardyn takes hold of a sword.

"Don't you dare," Elpis hisses at Somnus. "Run if you must, but I won't leave him."

She breaks free of his hold and runs closer to Ardyn, who curses when he sees her.

"For once in your life, don't be stubborn," he says as he dodges another wild blow by the daemon.

Ignoring him, Elpis finds an opening, rushes past the daemon, and grabs a stave from Ardyn's Armiger. She lifts it up just as the daemon brings down its own new weapon, a large sword made entirely of the Scourge. It hits her stave, sending a teeth-chattering shock from her arms down to her toes, but her stave manages to hold it off until Ardyn comes in and slashes at the daemon's arm with his sword.

"You are-" Elpis swings at the monster's leg, hitting the knee with an audible crack. "-Out of your bloody mind-" She only just dodges another blow by the daemon, falling to the ground and using her momentum to roll behind it. "-If you think I'm letting you do this alone, Ardyn Lucis Caelum!"

Calling upon the light inside her, Elpis gathers it into her stave, then slams the bottom of it into the ground. The earth trembles as light erupts from the top of her stave, and though it's brief, the daemon is blinded. Then it lashes out, swinging its arm towards her. A sharp cry escapes her as its arm slams into her side. She flies through the air and, by some miracle, the wind is not knocked from her lungs when she hits the ground.

She hears an enraged yell from Ardyn, and when she looks up, he's attacking the daemon with every weapon he has in a flurry so fast that she can't keep up with it. Terror grounds her to the spot when she sees Ardyn's face. She does not recognize him at all. His eyes are empty of everything except one thing:

Bloodlust. Pure and utter bloodlust.

"Stop," she whispers, leaning on the stave to get to her feet. Angry magenta energy markings surround the daemon, Ardyn warping from attack to attack, until, with a final growl, he cuts the daemon's head off with a slash of a scythe. The body doesn't even hit the ground before Ardyn slices his sword through the daemon's heart.

The corpse falls, Miasma in its wake. Soon, the daemon is nothing more than smoke on the wind, its body disappearing into the shadows.

The stave disappears from her hand in a flash of magenta light. Before her, Ardyn falls to one knee, a hand pressed to his eyes. He seems to shake something off with a low growl, one that sends a tremble down Elpis' spine.

She approaches Ardyn carefully. Not with any fear, because frankly, her mind hasn't caught up with everything yet to know enough to fear him. But she does know enough to be careful. She does not know the man before her, and that thought terrifies her.

"Ardyn?"

With another tremor, Ardyn lowers his hand from his face. He twitches briefly, then takes a deep breath, and when he looks up at her, it's the Ardyn she knows.

"El," he says. "Don't ever do that again."

"I could say the same to you."

Behind them, Elpis can hear the woman crying. The weight of failure hits her harder than the daemon's blow.

They just killed a man. They killed a man because he would have rather died than let Ardyn anywhere near him. They've killed daemons before, but never after seeing them change. It had been easy, then, to tell themselves they were animals that had changed, not people.

Elpis holds out a hand to Ardyn, something in her relaxing slightly when he takes it. She pulls him up to his feet and raises a brow at him.

"I think you have some explaining to do."

* * *

"I don't know the entire story."

They sit together in their bedroom, Ardyn looking over her wounds from the battle. Somnus has left to take care of the woman, while Adeo, Deus, and Crescentia see to the rest of the citizens. Elpis knows she and Ardyn should be out there as well. When she led Ardyn back to their home, he didn't stop her, and she didn't suggest they see to other matters first.

In this one rare instance, there are more important things than being leaders for the people of Solheim.

Ardyn gingerly touches her ribs which causes her to hiss quietly. She can already tell one is fractured, if not more. "That's what I get for not wearing my armor today," she says.

He kisses the back of her neck. "I'll take care of you." After a moment of focusing, she feels the warmth of his healing light spread through her, easing the pain in her chest. True, she could heal herself just fine, but it's become something of a ritual between them over the years after a battle. They heal each other, as it's the only way to reassure themselves that they're both truly okay. And it's nice, to be taken care of in such a way.

"As I said, I don't know the entire story," Ardyn continues when the worst of her pain is gone. "But my parents did experiment on people in the magitek labs. To what purpose, I know not." He pauses. "There were rumors that they wanted to merge human consciousness with magitek armor, on to something called a 'database'... so that even if the armor were to be destroyed, the consciousness could live on and simply be set into another machine."

It's almost funny. She understands all of the words when taken apart, but put together in the order Ardyn just put them in, and they become incomprehensible.

"But I don't know for certain," Ardyn finishes, his tone unusually low. She doesn't need to look at his face to know that this history shames him. "My father never taught me any of that. For all I know, it could be a mere story, made up in the time since they've died to demonize the people who caused Ifrit's Betrayal. I cannot deny that they experimented on people, however. So it could very well be true."

Elpis does not dishonor his shame by reacting blindly. She thinks the story over in silence as he finishes his work. Once he's done and she's dressed again, she turns to him and studies his face.

"Have you ever gone down to the remains of the labs to see if there were clues?"

"No." Ardyn shakes his head. "But... Somnus has. He won't speak of it with me."

Which, Elpis supposes, is all the proof they need that something evil truly was going on in the magitek labs.

She caresses his face with her hands, making him meet her eye. "I wish you had told me this sooner," she says, "but I understand why you didn't. You're not responsible for what your parents did. I'm sorry you've been blamed for it today."

Ardyn visibly relaxes and closes his eyes. He leans forward and they kiss, the weight of secrets lightened for a brief time.

"Come," Elpis says when the kiss ends. "Let me see your wounds."

"I'm fine," he says, pulling away from her. Elpis can't help but notice he's been putting distance between them far more than normal. Usually, he can't seem to stop touching her, at least in private. She used to tease him for his constant need of attention, like he were a puppy.

"Let me look," Elpis insists. "To be sure. You know I worry."

Ardyn waves a hand and stands. "I'm fine, El. You should rest, and I should go out." He grimaces. "I need to see if the story has spread."

There's something she's missing that she can't put her finger on. Elpis frowns, staring at his hand, then at the cut in his healer's robe where the daemon's sword sliced him. Blood stains the fabric, though not as much as she thinks there should be.

"All right," she says, knowing this particular battle is lost. "Let me have your robe, though, so I can clean it and stitch it up."

Ardyn removes his robe without protest and hands it to her, then leans down to kiss her once again. He looks unusually serious as he pulls away to gaze down at her, thumb stroking her cheek.

"You're the best of all of us," he says. "I love you, El."

"I love you, too, Ardyn."

He manages a smile before he turns and leaves. Elpis stares at his arm as he goes.

The arm that has no wound on it. The wound on his hand from earlier is gone as well.

 _Maybe he healed himself this once,_ Elpis tells herself. _Because I was hurt in the battle. He's always been overprotective. He wouldn't want me to overwork myself._

The battle. The battle where Ardyn seemed to lost all sense of self and used a power he often didn't even talk about in order to kill a daemon after it hurt her. And where...

"Oh, gods," Elpis murmurs. His energy mark has changed. No longer is it the pure blue; now it's magenta. As if stained with blood.

Or with the Scourge.

 _I'm losing him,_ Elpis realizes with her heart in her stomach. _We don't have time for the Revelations. He'll lose himself before that happens._ What path did that leave them now, though?

Burying her face in his healer's robe, Elpis breathes in his scent, of fire smoke and earth and sweat and the ingredients he uses to make up potions for his patients. A hint of blood lies underneath.

She is losing the man she loves, and she has no idea how to stop it.

At some point, after stitching the robe and washing the blood from it, Elpis falls into a troubled sleep. She wakes when she hears the bedroom door open and the familiar tread of Ardyn's footfalls. If she had any dreams or nightmares, she no longer remembers them.

She waits as Ardyn washes up and then joins her under the blanket, wrapping an arm around her waist. She turns to face him, cuddling close, and studying his face. He looks more exhausted than she's ever seen him. Instead of bringing up the day's events or asking if the story has indeed spread, Elpis kisses him deeply, hungrily, trying to tell him in that one action how much she loves him. How much she needs him.

A shadow of his old grin appears when the kiss ends. "Did you miss me that much in the short hours I've been gone, my lady?"

"I always miss you when you're gone," Elpis says, her fingers running along his collarbone and down his chest. She presses her hand to his heart and tries to take comfort from the familiar beating. "I don't think we should do the Revelations," she says at length.

Ardyn blinks in surprise. "But your vision-"

She shakes her head. "No, I know. But everyone was right. We don't have the time to make that journey. Our people don't have the time." _Nor do you._ "I think I may have an idea, though."

In the quiet of the Long Night, she tells Ardyn of her plan, of her one last wild hope that she can save not only Eos but him as well. And when he finally agrees to it, when she pulls off his robe and lies back as he comes to kneel between her legs and lower his face between her thighs, she tries to ignore the pulling of the string that calls for her to take the Revelations. Elpis loses herself in Ardyn and manages to quiet the voice in the back of her head that's telling her she may be dooming them all.

She won't. The only acceptable outcome is victory. Anything else doesn't bear thinking about.

* * *

"Angelgard?" Somnus asks with surprise. "What of the Revelations?"

Ardyn waves a hand. "They're too dangerous. I've spent all these years helping people. I can't bear the thought of endangering anyone for my own sake."

Somnus crosses his arms over his chest and, briefly, shoots a look at Elpis. She pretends not to notice as she's packing the last of their supplies. "You would be doing it for a good reason. Everyone must make sacrifices sometimes for the greater good," he says.

Ardyn shrugs. "Bahamut himself hasn't yet come down from the heavens to tell us we're being stupid," he says cheerfully. "So it must not be that bad of a plan."

"That is a horrible criteria," Somnus says drily.

Crescentia puts a hand on his shoulder. "Som, don't you trust your brother and Lady Elpis?"

"... Yes."

"Then trust that they know what they're doing now." Crescentia smiles at Elpis. "You're both very brave. But are you sure you should be going by yourselves?"

Elpis ties off the last of their sacks and hoists it over her shoulder. "Solheim can't spare you," she says. "I know you've doubts about your own abilities, but you've learned much. Do as Ardyn and I showed you, and you'll be able to help those with the Scourge who seek you out."

Biting her bottom lip, Crescentia nods. Elpis gives her shoulder a reassuring pat before taking one last look at her home. Years before, she'd done the same thing when she left her tribe to seek out a healer to save her sister. Then, she'd been heavy with the knowledge that she was severing all her ties to her life as she knew it.

Now, she's only heavy with the knowledge of what will happen should she fail.

"And remember," Elpis says for what feels like the hundredth time, "the letters to Charis in my bedroom, on the table by the window. If we don't succeed-"

"-I send the letter with the black wax, with the Zenais tribe's hawk," Crescentia finishes. "I remember. But you'll succeed, and you'll get to send the other letter when you return."

Elpis only smiles tightly in response. And then it's time for them to leave. They all file out of the house and follow Elpis and Ardyn as they go to Ardyn's black chocobo, Aquila. He'd found it years before, a lost hatchling alone and starving in the Old City, and had brought it home. Somnus had teased him for months about how he mothered the little chick. Elpis, meanwhile, teased him for the big name he bestowed upon so small a creature.

Still, Aquila grew into a fine chocobo, and fiercely loyal to both Ardyn and Elpis. He lets out a high _kweh_ as they approach and begin loading up their supplies onto his back. After a moment, Somnus draws Ardyn away, and Elpis tries very hard not to eavesdrop.

Well, maybe not that hard.

"Are you sure about this?"

"El is certain of it," Ardyn says. "And that's all I need."

Somnus is silent a moment before saying, "You truly do love her, don't you?"

Ardyn laughs quietly. "When this is over," he says, "I'm going to marry her, little brother."

Elpis almost drops the bag she's holding in shock. She recovers before either of the brothers notice her reaction and hides her face by focusing intently on getting the bag strapped to Aquila's back. When Ardyn joins her side a moment later, she has to make sure she's not grinning like an absolute fool before she looks up at him.

 _Ardyn Lucis Caelum, my husband. I like the sound of that very much._

A childish part of her wants to stick her tongue out in triumph at Somnus. She only just manages to hold herself back.

Ardyn helps her mount Aquila, then takes up his place behind her. The solidity of his body against her back is reassuring, and for a moment, Elpis feels as if everything will be okay.

Somnus steps back along with Crescentia, barely concealed worry on his face. "Come back to us alive, brother," he says. Crescentia smacks his shoulder.

Ardyn laughs. "I will, Som. Have no fear. The gods smile down on us."

With that, he flicks Aquila's reins and steers the chocobo onto the path to the border of the Lower City. Elpis lets out a deep breath, a tension in her chest easing.

It was happening. They were going to save the world. And she was going to save her husband.

* * *

 _There's one lesson we rarely take from the myths and stories of the gods. One we ignore, because to confront it would cause too much doubt in our hearts. It would cause us to question too many things._

 _The lesson is this: The gods lie._

* * *

The journey to Angelgard takes only a little over a month. Aquila keeps a fast pace without tiring, and most times, Elpis sleeps in the saddle while Ardyn keeps them on their way. They rest occasionally, but never for very long. The knowledge of what they've left behind in Solheim keeps them going fast.

Along the way, they come across daemons. Each time they must kill one, the burden of failure weighs heavy on their hearts.

It's only when they reach the shoreline that they stop. Out over the ocean is a storm, lightning striking down into seemingly nothing. Elpis peers out at the water, but all she can see is darkness. The only hint there's even an ocean at her feet is the sound of the waves and the water that rhythmically runs over her toes.

After a time, she leaves the beach, not wanting to be target pratice for the storm, and returns to the little camp they've set up under a rocky cliff. The sand is different from what she grew up with, but the feel of it sinking under her feet is comforting all the same.

"It's strange," Elpis says. "If we turn and go North now, we would be in the desert again. And yet, my tribe never ventured this far out."

Ardyn motions for her to sit between his legs so she does, resting her back against his chest. He wraps his arms around her waist. "Never leaving the desert made you miss out on a spectacular sight. At least, when the sun is shining."

"I can't wait to see it," she murmurs. Then, before either one of them can linger too long on that, she says, "How will we get over to the island?"

"Well," Ardyn says with a long sigh. "I've found some boats that remain from when people lived here. There's one that should hold us... hopefully. And if not, ah... black chocobos can fly."

They both look at Aquila with a critical eye, noting how skinny he is, and how short his wingspan.

"I'm going to drown here," Elpis says with resignation.

Ardyn laughs, which is what she wanted, and nuzzles her neck. "Stop that. Don't think of it for now. Tell me more about the child."

"I've already told you everything," Elpis says with a laugh. "Many times, over the course of this journey."

"Tell me again."

"Her name was Aurea," Elpis says fondly. "And she accidentally ate a bug. She had your eyes, my hair and skin, and your smile. And I was with child in the vision."

"Boy or girl?"

"How am I to know?" She pokes his hand. "It was still in my belly."

"Bahamut could have volunteered the information."

"He didn't."

"How rude of him."

Elpis stares up at the black sky. "Which would you rather: Boy or a girl?"

Ardyn doesn't immediately answer. Instead he sighs once more, kissing her shoulder, rocking them back and forth. "I don't know," he says at length. "I gave up all thought of children when I was chosen and I realized the extent of my responsibility. It wasn't something I ever considered that much before, in any case."

"Mm," Elpis says. "Neither did I, really, but that was because it was one of the few things I had no real choice in. As High Priestess, I would have to bear children to continue the Maelen line and lead our people. So, I always knew I'd have children, and I never thought much about what I wanted past their existence. Now Charis has a daughter instead."

She'd married young, to a man from a neighboring tribe. The daughter had been born only a year after the wedding and Charis had named her Elpida.

 _She would be five now,_ Elpis thinks, and her heart breaks for everything she has missed in their time apart.

Ardyn hugs her tightly. "You know, when you're Queen, you can go back to the desert and no one will be able to stop you," he says. "You could stay as long as you want."

She grins in spite of herself. "That's not quite how it works, silly man."

"Why not?" he asks. "We'll be King and Queen of Solheim. Things will work however we say they work."

"I can sense Somnus having a heart attack at your very words even from here."

Their laughter echoes throughout the darkness, and soon they slept. When they awoke, they would go to the island where once the gods sat in judgment and try to save the world they loved.

* * *

The storm passed them sometime in their sleep. Aquila shifts nervously as they lead him to the boat, and frankly, Elpis shares his reluctance.

Ardyn comes to a sudden halt at the edge of the water. "Damn it," he says. "The boat was here. I tied it to the dock to make certain it wouldn't drift, and it's done exactly that."

Aquila lets out a quiet _kweh_ that almost sounds despairing. Elpis wants to join him.

"Then we take Aquila and our chances over the water?" she asks, and she can't stop the fear from leaking into her voice.

Ardyn stares out at the water with grim determination. Then he holds a hand out to her. "Take my hand, El. I wish to try something."

She does as he asks, standing close to him. When she feels the prick of his light against her hand, her own powers respond almost without her notice. Their light intertwines as Ardyn holds up his free hand to the ocean.

Curious but not wanting to break his concentration, Elpis stays silent and pushes her powers further to him. They both begin to glow so brightly that she can no longer see anything beyond their light.

"Gods of Eos," Ardyn murmurs, "clear us a path through the water to the Isle of Angelgard."

Silently, Elpis repeats his prayer and lifts up her stave. She doesn't know how she can tell it's time to set it back on the ground - just that she does, and when it hits the ocean in tandem with Ardyn pushing forward his arm, the water suddenly rears away from them with a great roar. Aquila squawks in terror, flapping his wings. Ocean mist sprays against them as the water rises up and up to create two columns. Shadows swim beyond their reach, some of them fish, some of them monstrous.

"Good gods," Elpis mutters, eyes wide even as the saltwater stings them. "What did we just do?"

Ardyn, grinning wildly, picks her up into a sudden hug and spins her around. "A damned miracle, Elpis!" Setting her down, he takes her hand again and pulls her towards the opening they've created. "The gods are inviting us to their home. We shan't be rude guests and stand in the open door."

"Is now a bad time to admit that I'm scared of the ocean?" Elpis says shakily, though she follows Ardyn into the tunnel all the same. Aquila pulls at his reins but relents as she keeps a tight hold of them.

Ardyn laughs. "What is there to fear now? We're safe."

As if to illustrate his point further, a daemonfish swims perilously close to the edge of the water-then, with an ear splitting shriek, swims away when their light hits it. After that, the daemons follow them, but none others try to approach.

"The others are never going to believe this," Elpis manages with a weak laugh. "I'm not certain I believe it yet, either."

How long they walk, she doesn't know. The fear that the water will suddenly fall in on them or a daemonfish will be able to withstand their light keeps her distracted. So when the ground once more rises up and the wings of Angelgard greet her, it's a surprise.

Elpis looks back behind them. The water remains standing, as if waiting for their return.

"I don't dare take that as a good sign," she mutters to Ardyn, even as her heart lifts.

Laughing, he pulls her into a deep kiss. A little dazed, she says, "That's probably sacrilegious on this ground, you know."

With a very, very naughty smirk, Ardyn says, "Want me to do it again?"

 _Gods, yes._ Elpis shakes her head and pulls away, though her hands linger on his torso. She looks up to the wings of the Isle, then blinks and peers closer at a structure standing nearby.

Ardyn follows her gaze. "The prison the gods once used," he says. "The staves were a magical barrier to keep them inside and everyone else out. The magic is long gone from them, since the War."

The darkened prison gives her such a sick feeling of foreboding that she has to look away from it.

"It's so hard to imagine that the Six actually sat here once, that Ramuh cast His judgment upon people here," Elpis says. Not only is it difficult, but it's unnerving. In her tribe, the Elders of each family held trial. If the problem was between two tribes, then a special council was made. That was fair, Elpis believes. It was only right that humans should judge other humans.

Then again, Somnus and Crescentia would say that humans are fickle and fallible. They can never know all the facts. The gods are beyond the reach of such petty things as bribery or corruption, therefore they would never be swayed into a false verdict.

She shakes her head to rid herself of her blasphemous, distracting thoughts. Turning to Ardyn, she says, "I don't know what to do next. All this time, I thought I would step foot here and just... know. But I don't."

Ardyn leads her further away from the ocean's edge until they come to the base of the wings. He takes Aquila's reins from her and ties them to a tree, giving the chocobo a reassuring pat. Then he rejoins her side and gives her the steady smile she loves so much.

"I have faith in you," he says sincerely. "Do whatever you think you must. The gods will hear you, one way or another."

Bolstered by this, Elpis nods and centers herself, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

 _Bahamut,_ she prays, _I, Elpis Maelen of the Lucis Caelum tribe, your Chosen Oracle, request your help once more. Please. Help me wake the other gods here, in Angelgard._

She's not aware that she's raising her stave until she opens her eyes and begins to sing. The voice comes from somewhere entirely different deep inside her - from her power itself. Her light grows to be blinding as the soprano, so unlike her natural voice, echoes throughout the Isle.

It feels divine.

As the last note fades away, another voice answers.

 _Chosen Oracle._ Bahamut says, his voice quietly flowing through them on the breeze. _Did not I say to take the Revelations?_

"Yes," Elpis says. "Forgive me, Bahamut."

 _Then why have you come here?_

"We are ever more your humble servants," Ardyn cuts in, joining her side. "But we could not make the people of Eos wait while we traveled."

"Please, God of War, I beg of you," Elpis says, taking to her knees and bowing her head until her forehead touches the sand. "Grant us your mercy. Awaken the remaining four gods and grant your blessing unto Ardyn, your Chosen, once more that he may cleanse Eos of the Scourge."

Around her, the air shifts, and the breeze stops completely. A man stands before her when she looks up - except, no. It is not a man. Familiarity strikes her as she takes in his pale skin, the black armor, and the draconian wings emerging from his back. The last time she saw this form, she had been but a child.

Bahamut studies them both, his pale blue eyes unreadable. His gaze fixes on Ardyn. "You demand your gods to bow to your whims?"

"No," Ardyn says without flinching. "I demand my gods give me the chance to prove myself here."

Perhaps she imagines it, but Elpis thinks she sees a hint of a smile pass over Bahamut's mouth. "Then so be it."

Ardyn starts slightly. "Ah-wait, really?"

Bahamut pierces his gaze on Elpis. "Finish your song, Oracle," he says. "And the gods will find you here."

Her voice flows forth once more, louder this time, and the world around her disappears. Her very self disappears, it seems, and there's nothing but her voice, echoing throughout the world. In Duscae, the earth trembles as the Titan stirs. The waters draw away from the shore as, under Celluna, the Leviathan moves. When Elpis takes her next breath, a taste of crisp, cold air greets her.

The song ends once more, and when she opens her eyes again, she and Ardyn are surrounded by gods.

Like Bahamut, they have taken on human aspects. Leviathan, half woman, half fish, glares down at them from a rock with yellow eyes. Ramuh stands beside Bahamut, stave in hand. Titan stands beyond them, still tall, his eyes like the lava that runs beneath the earth. And on the other side of Bahamut is a woman with pale skin and black hair that Elpis once saw before a fire. In a blink, her human aspect is gone, replaced by her true form of a white body.

"How dare you?" Leviathan demands. Elpis is unreasonably reminded of her mother. "Has the arrogance and pride of humans grown so much in the wake of the War? Should we have another, to teach you humility?"

"We'd rather you didn't," Ardyn says lightly. "The last one was more than enough."

"Why, then, have we been called to where once we sat in judgment?" Ramuh asks, his voice the crackle of lightning. "Why have you awoken us?"

"I haven't," Elpis says. Then hurriedly adds, "Not fully. Otherwise you would be here in your full forms."

"Not that we don't appreciate the consideration of you appearing before us thus," Ardyn says.

Shiva smiles gently. "You have Chosen well, Bahamut. They are smart."

"Pah," Leviathan spits. Her teeth are disconcertingly sharp, and Elpis tries not to imagine them ripping her skin apart. Or worse, Ardyn's. "Ifrit must have melted your brain as well, Glacian, for if they were smart they would not have brought us here. Why have we not already killed them for their impertinence?"

Bahamut gives Leviathan only a brief glance. "They are my Chosen, Hydraean," he says. "Raise a hand to them and you raise your hand to me."

Leviathan hisses, but does not attack.

Titan speaks at last, his voice like rocks raining down from a mountain. "The Chosens wish to stand in judgment?"

"Then judge them we must," Ramuh says, and Elpis remembers that it was he who once judged the humans brought before him. And executed them.

She takes Ardyn's hand and squeezes it. It's far too comforting to feel that he's trembling in fear as well, though he hides it.

"Tell us, O Chosen King, Healer of Solheim," Bahamut says, "why should we grant your our blessings?"

Ardyn is silent for a long moment, his gaze intense, his eyes lost in thought. When he speaks, he does so with utter certainty. "Because I wish to purge our star of the Scourge that plagues it," he says. "Because I want nothing more than to see those in thrall to darkness find peace. It is all I have worked for ever since Solheim's Fall." He pauses, then takes a breath. "I don't even care if you kill me afterward, as punishment for my impertinence. If that is the price I must pay to heal Eos, then I will pay it."

 _Ardyn,_ Elpis thinks with panic, _shut up._

His declaration is met with silence. Then Bahamut looks to Elpis. "And what of you, Oracle? Would you too lay your life down for Eos?"

Unlike Ardyn, she does not think over her answer. She cannot second guess herself in this. And if she thinks it over, she will simply come up with lies.

And so, Elpis speaks the truth. "No."

Leviathan hisses again while Shiva merely studies her.

"Explain yourself," Ramuh commands.

"I am not selfless like Ardyn," Elpis says without shame. "If you had asked me that years ago, I would have said yes. I would have said that no price was too high if it meant the sun would return. But my mother warned me that there are prices too dear to pay, and I've come to realize she was right. Don't you see? I have already given my life to Eos. So has Ardyn. We have given ourselves over and over again. Too many have given their lives for it already. If bringing an end to the Long Night means I must see Ardyn die, then I will learn to happily live in the dark for the rest of my life."

Ardyn's hold on her hand tightens until it's painful, but she doesn't cringe and doesn't pull away.

"I came here because I knew the Scourge was taking Ardyn from me," she says. "And I cannot abide a world without him. I refuse. Nor can I accept a world that must be paid for with the blood and despair of thousands."

"Lovelorn fool!" Leviathan shrieks, and faster than Elpis' eyes can track her, she launches herself from the rock, trident in hand, and hits Elpis with the force of an ocean.

Her body hits a rock and knocks the wind from her lungs. She distantly hears Ardyn shout her name, but can focus only on trying to drag air back into her chest. Spots dance before her eyes as she wheezes. And far away, in the cage behind her heart, the Scourge screams with rage.

 _Let us have her,_ it cries. _Let us rip her flesh from her bones. Give over, child, and let us taste blood!_

Elpis pushes the voices away and struggles to her arms, then grabs hold of the rock behind her and pulls herself upright. Ice forms on the rock as Shiva suddenly comes to stand in front of her, facing Leviathan.

"That is enough," Shiva says. "Would you rather she had lied to us, Hydraean?"

"She is impure of spirit," Leviathan snaps. "She places herself and her lover above the rest of the world and expects us to reward her for it?"

"She wishes to see the sun again," Ardyn says, "with me. She wants to live in the world she saves."

"Impudent sack of meat."

Elpis gets to her feet, leaning on her stave. Her voice weak, she says, "I have already given up everything once. I haven't seen my family in years because I chose to save the lives of my sister and my people over my own future. So yes, if I am selfish for wanting to live, then I will be selfish." She pauses, then bows her head deeply. "However. If my life were needed to give Ardyn the power to cleanse Eos... then I would do so without complaint."

"Elpis," Ardyn pleads, "shut up."

"You make no sense," Leviathan says.

Elpis gives her a sweet smile. "I'm human. A human in love with another. We often don't."

"Enough."

Everyone stills at Bahamut's command. The Draconian turns to Ramuh. "It is my choice in the end, Fulgurian, but tell me your judgment that I may take it into consideration."

"The Hydraean is right," Ramuh says. "They are but human, with humanity's failings and foibles. To expect more of them than what the Chosen Oracle has shown would be foolish."

"That is how the Crystal made them," Titan observes. "Their lives are short and without meaning inherent. They must find ways to give themselves meaning."

"And what is more meaningful than love?" Shiva asks. "It is humanity's greatest trait. The love between a parent a child, between siblings, and friends, and lovers. Should we punish one who displays the best of human attributes? Who loves so deeply and purely that she refuses to be parted from him?"

"It is a poisonous love, if it makes her forsake the world that birthed her," Leviathan says.

 _I'm getting very tired of being spoken about as if I'm not here,_ Elpis thinks wearily. She feels hands on her shoulders and finds Ardyn has come to her.

"If we live through this," Ardyn says, "I am going to yell at you. A lot."

She smiles. "I can't wait."

He shakes his head in exasperation. Then, to the gods, he says, "Please, Gods of Eos. I cannot abide a world without Elpis as well. If a life must be paid, let it be mine. Of course I don't truly wish to die. I want to live the rest of my life with her. But if that's the cost, then so be it. All I ask is that no harm come to her. I want her to see the sun once more."

"There must be a payment, 'tis true," Bahamut says. "There can be nothing given without something in return. A child cannot be born without the pain of the one who bears it. A person cannot eat without ending the life of something to sustain them."

Ramuh bows his head. "Let them be judged worthy, and make them bear the weight of the price."

"Would you give your powers willingly, that they may fulfill their destiny?" Bahamut asks, and though he addresses it to all the gods, he looks to Leviathan.

She raises her head haughtily. "Will you fight me, lover, if I demand they earn by battle my blessing?"

"I would."

Sneering, Leviathan says, "Then let them be blessed, and may they live the rest of their lives in misery."

Silence falls over the Isle once more. Elpis turns to Ardyn and whispers, "Did we win?"

"Leviathan hasn't eaten us yet, so I think yes."

"Chosen Ones," Bahamut says, his wings expanding behind him as he raises his arms. "Let your judgment be thus: Grant to you the power of gods, that you might cleanse Eos of the Scourge. Chosen King, take the Scourge into your body and be host to it forevermore. Chosen Oracle, you will be the key that keeps the darkness at bay within his heart. Your lives will never be free of the Scourge. Only thus can Eos know peace once more. That is our judgment and our price."

Ardyn opens his mouth, but Elpis grabs his arm before he can say anything stupidly noble and self-sacrificing. "But there will be no more daemons?" she asks. "Ardyn will never change into one if he keeps the Scourge?"

"So shall it be."

It's not exactly what she wanted when she set out from Solheim. She wanted Ardyn cured completely. But if the gods say he will never turn and will be able to live a long life even with the Scourge in his body... then perhaps that is simply the best she's going to get.

She and Ardyn share a long look, countless words passing between them without needing to be said. And then Ardyn nods and kisses her forehead.

"Then we accept," Elpis says to Bahamut.

"Come, Ardyn Lucis Caelum," Bahamut says. "Come, Elpis Maelen. Receive your blessings."

Together, they stand and approach the gods. Ramuh raises his stave to the heavens and lightning splits apart the sky and gathers in his stave. Then he strikes them. Elpis screams as the electricity courses through her body, setting every nerve alight. She has no time to recover as Titan cracks the earth open around them and lava engulfs them, sinking into their bones. Leviathan cools it, but only by drowning them, filling their lungs with saltwater.

Elpis, delirious and on her knees, is only vaguely aware when Shiva approachs her. The goddess lifts her head up and smiles benevolently, then kisses her, freezing her very blood. When Shiva does the same to Ardyn, she disappears in a gentle flurry of snowflakes.

And then there is only Bahamut. He has lost his human aspect and has taken on his true, terrifying form. The God of War raises his hand, then brings it and all his swords down on them.

When the first sword pierces her heart, Elpis passes out from the agony, only to be woken again and again as each of his swords lays claim to her body. At last, the final sword cuts through her, and her weightless body falls to the sand.

 _Go now, O Chosen Ones,_ Bahamut says. _Wield the light and erase darkness from this world._

Somehow, Elpis manages to stand. She stumbles over to Ardyn who is dry heaving on the ground. When he looks up at her, blood runs from his nose and mouth, and the blood vessels in his eyes have broken.

She falls next to him, leaning on him, and he holds on to her. The power of the gods runs through them now, agonizing and divine all at once. Ardyn presses his forehead to hers and they both close their eyes as light emanates from their bodies.

"With this power of the gods," Ardyn says, his voice ragged, "I return the light to Eos."

An explosion sounds somewhere beyond them, loud enough to hurt Elpis' ears, and then she feels the Scourge flowing through the Isle into Ardyn.

"And with this power of gods," she whispers, "I bind them to you, Ardyn Lucis Caelum."

She sets a hand on his chest and the Scourge tries to claw its way out, claw its way back into her, but the light of her power merely pushes it back. She imagines a lock being turned, a door being closed, and then-

And then the light disappears from them both and the earth rumbles below them.

Ardyn curses. "El, come on. The water-it's falling. Aquila!"

With a quark, the chocobo runs over. Ardyn hoists them both up in one fell swoop and Elpis hangs on for dear life as Aquila runs from the Isle and back through the path, water splashing up under his claws. Elpis hears a roar behind them and turns to look, only to be turned back around by Ardyn.

"You really don't want to see," he says.

"Now that you've said that, I think I should!"

She realizes what it is a second later: The water returning to its natural state. Aquila runs as fast as he can, and the shoreline is in sight when the water catches up to them. For the second time that night, Elpis is thrown through the sky as the water slams into all of them. The last thing she sees is Ardyn's red hair.

* * *

 _You see now, don't you? It was a trial._

 _And I failed._

 _Then again, I was never meant to win in the first place._

 _The worst part of it all is that the gods kept their word. Ardyn would never change into a daemon and the darkness would not return. They never promised to make him a true King. They never promised me life._

 _I cannot blame them for my poor bargaining skills. But I can hate them._

* * *

NOTES: We're coming upon the end, my friends. Thank you for sticking with it this far.

I deliberately chose not to feature the Revelations, mainly because a) that would have made a longer story than I initially envisioned this as and b) there simply isn't enough in the games for me to draw from in regards to how they work. Some of the gods chose to fight Noctis, while others did not. However, I didn't want the blessings to be simple, either. So I made it brutal for Elpis and Ardyn. Like I said, I'm playing fast and loose with canon here.

(Also, I totally wanted to throw in a mention to Hojo in this chapter. But I refrained, because I'm boring.)

The playlist for this chapter:

1\. I Walk the Line by Halsey  
2\. NFWMB by Hozier  
3\. Young God by Halsey  
4\. APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS by Yoko Shimomura, of course.


	4. APOCALYPSIS ARDYN

Elpis wakes to an unfamiliar warmth. Her clothes cling to her body as a wave rolls over her legs, and she can feel wet sand clinging to her skin. Groaning, she rolls over.

"El." Ardyn's voice is quietly urgent as he touches her shoulder. "Wake up."

"No," she says, wishing he would extinguish the firelight that's burning beyond her closed eyes.

Laughing, Ardyn wipes away some of the hair that's stuck to her face. "Trust me, you'll want to see this."

Wincing, Elpis slowly opens her eyes. Ardyn stands over her, a strange halo of light behind his head. Briefly she panics that something's wrong with her eyesight, as the sky isn't the right color, a bright blue with spots of white.

And then she sits upright with a gasp, ignoring the wave of dizziness that hits her as she looks out at the ocean.

The ocean that's shining in the bright sunlight.

"Oh my gods," she whispers, tears forming in her eyes. "Ardyn, you did it. It-the sun. It's the _sun_!"

"We did it," Ardyn corrects. And then, with a wild laugh, he picks her up and spins her around once more until he loses his footing and they fall back onto the sand. She kisses him deeply before standing and running to the water. It splashes up along her knees, blissfully warm and bright in the sunlight. Ardyn joins her and, as if they were children again, they have a contest to see who can splash the other the most.

After a time, they find their way back to the beach and sit, looking out at the ocean. Elpis sighs, a long forgotten feeling of contentment settling in her bones.

"It doesn't seem real," she says. She thinks of Charis and her daughter, the child born in darkness and who has grown up only ever knowing the night. She thinks of all the children born in the Long Night who are now seeing daylight for the first time in their lives. She thinks of her own daughter who will only know of the Long Night from stories.

"It doesn't," Ardyn agrees, digging through the sand idly. "I regret waiting as long as I did to do anything about it."

"We could only do as the gods bade us," Elpis says, leaning into his side and resting her head on his shoulder.

Yet a part of her agrees with him. Why had they waited so long? It makes no sense to her now that she thinks back on it. Then she disregards the thought. The past was the past and she could do nothing about it now.

"How are you feeling?" she asks.

"Considering only a few hours ago I was nearly killed by the gods while they gave us their blessings? Quite well, actually." He kisses her temple. "What of yourself?"

"The same."

Elpis studies his face. The Scourge lives inside his body now, locked away, but he's able to stand in the light without any discomfort. The blood vessels in his eyes have healed already. Save for the sun in the sky, there's no hint of what they went through.

He catches her staring and smirks. "Admiring my beauty, El?"

"Something like that."

Why had she doubted that Bahamut would keep his word?

Ardyn stops digging in the sand and picks up an intact seashell. It's small and pale white with faint pink lines in the grooves. After a moment, he hands it to Elpis.

"Elpis," he says, his tone serious. "Do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She raises an eyebrow as she takes the shell from him. "Silly man," she says fondly. "Of course I will."

A broad smile breaks out over Ardyn's face and he pulls her into another kiss. For the first time in years, Elpis feels as if everything is right in the world once more. And it was all because of the man she would soon call her husband.

After a rather humiliating and hilarious attempt at fishing and a meal of roasted fish, Elpis and Ardyn prepare to leave. Aquila has been hiding in the trees and, if either of them tried to lure him out, gave them a look that plainly said they were out of their minds.

With Ardyn's help, Elpis hoists herself up into Aquila's battered sadle. Ardyn sits behind her once more, and together, they both look out at the ocean one last time. Angelgard sits in the distance, showing no sign of what transpired a short time ago.

For some reason, the prison flashes through her mind. Shivering, Elpis turns away. "Back to Solheim, then."

Ardyn nods. "Back to Solheim, to take our crowns."

"Did you mean what you said, about how you didn't care if you became a King or not?"

"I did," Ardyn says. "Come now, El. You didn't think my ego was quite that large, did you? It never entered my mind to declare myself King." He shrugs a shoulder. "And honestly, I'm still... getting used to the idea. Leadership isn't something that I particularly enjoy. I lead an army during the War, and it soured me on that particular aspect of leading.

"But," he continues, "when the gods themselves say to take up a crown, I can't exactly deny them, can I? Besides, you and I could do real good for Eos on our thrones. Far more good than leading an army ever did."

She leans against his back and stares up at the treetops as they pass under them. "If you had a choice, would you rather remain a healer?"

"Yes," Ardyn says without hesitation. "And if I were going this alone, I would be more reluctant than I am. But I have you to be my Queen, and I'll have Somnus, and Adeo and Deus, and Crescentia. They'll help us through this." He kisses the back of her head. "You'll make a magnificent Queen."

Elpis smiles. "And you'll make a good, kind King."

Together, they made their long way back to the kingdom that awaited them.

* * *

"Som, it's them! They're back!"

Crescentia's voice carries on the wind and greets them as they walk through the gate of the Lower City. Her white dress billows out around her as she runs to them, blonde hair flying behind her, her grin wide. Somnus appears from behind the gate wall. When he sees his brother, his entire face lights up and he can't stop the smile that breaks on his face.

"Ardyn!" He rushes over and nearly topples his elder brother over as he hugs him. Ardyn laughs and hugs him back, patting his back, while Crescentia hugs Elpis.

"You did it," Crescentia says, awe in her voice. "You really did it."

"And all it took was getting stabbed in the heart a few times by Bahamut," Ardyn says. Crescentia blanches while Somnus jerks away from his brother in shock.

"What?"

Elpis pats Ardyn's shoulder. "Didn't I say we should keep some of the details to ourselves? This is why."

In the distance, she hears Adeo shout their names, and soon he and Deus join their little party. Adeo lifts Ardyn off the ground with his hug, which causes Elpis to break into uncontrollable laughter at Ardyn's alarmed expression. Deus merely smiles and bows his head respectfully to Elpis.

"I expect the full story, you know," he says while the others crowd around Ardyn. "It's not every day I get to hear the story of someone going through the rites and forging a covenant with the gods firsthand. It'll make a good addition to the library."

Elpis grimaces. "It'll be an awfully bloody tale."

"All the good ones are."

Since she cannot agree with him, she merely smiles. Somnus breaks away from the others and approaches her. In his blue eyes, she sees new respect as he regards her.

"Thank you for bringing him back," Somnus says, holding a hand out to her. Elpis takes it with some surprise.

"Not bad for a heretic, hm?"

Somnus laughs quietly and shakes his head. "No, not bad at all. I suppose I should get used to calling you sister?"

"Damn right."

Crescentia tugs at the sleeve of Elpis' dress and nods her head to indicate something beyond the walls of the Lower City. "Look," she says. "The people of Solheim are waiting for their saviors."

"Oh, dear," Elpis says with a forced smile. "They really didn't have to come out to see us-"

Ardyn puts his arm around her shoulders. "Nonsense, El. You didn't think we'd get back and everyone would act as if nothing had happened?"

"No, but..."

He shares a look with the others and, one by one, they nod and leave, helping to unpack the few things remaining on Aquila's saddle. Ardyn takes Elpis' hands in his and gazes down at her adoringly.

"We don't have to if you truly wish it," he says. "But I'll be with you the entire time. Come now, don't you want to be heralded as the great Oracle you are by your people?"

"It just seems a bit... I don't know. Arrogant?"

He strokes her cheek with a finger. "It will only be until we get home. Then we can shut our door and be alone for as long as you like." He raises an eyebrow suggestively. "And I can worship you in private then."

Elpis can feel the blush on her cheeks. Gods, she's far past her thirty-fifth turn of the sun, and yet he still makes her blush like a young girl. Biting back a smile, she nods and stands on tiptoe to kiss Ardyn.

"There's my girl," he says, and leads her over to Aquila. Already, the cacophony of voices from the gathering crowd is deafening. Children run up to them both and squeal in delight as Ardyn picks them up and throws them in the air before catching them. He seats some of them on Aquila's back and lets them ride the chocobo into the city.

Elpis, meanwhile, cannot look away from the buildings. In the Long Night, the colors had been hard to see, no matter how brightly they dyed the fabric. In the light of day, the banners hanging from the houses almost seem to glow. Her city is bathed in dizzying color and she revels in it. It reminds her of the desert, how at first glance it could look as if it held only one or two colors, but looked at from far away and it became an array of hues, like an artist had dropped all their paints on the land. And if one looked closer, they could find hidden treasures in the golden grains.

People crowd around them, reaching out their hands to touch her and Ardyn. Knowing how it would look if she shied away, Elpis allows it, even as her discomfort at being touched by so many people grows. Delphina emerges from the crowd and runs up to her, throwing her arms around her shoulders. Laughing in surprise, Elpis hugs her back.

At some point, the children get down from Aquila, and Ardyn takes up the saddle again. He holds a hand out to Elpis but she shakes her head, motioning for him to go on without her. She's heartily sick of being in the saddle, frankly, and wishes only to enjoy the heat of the ground beneath her feet. She follows along behind Aquila and watches as the people-their people-cheer for him.

No, not just for him. For her as well.

Elpis tips her face back until she feels the sun's rays on her skin and smiles.

 _Thank you, gods. Thank you for forgiving my doubt. Thank you for leading Ardyn into his destiny as king._

"People of Solheim!" Somnus shouts from atop a stack of boxes. "I give you your King and Queen: Ardyn and Elpis Lucis Caelum!"

A roar goes up as the people cheer, so loud Elpis can feel it vibrating in her chest. Someone begins playing music and Delphina is the first to dance, taking the hands of the jewelry girl and leading her into a clearing.

Despite Ardyn's promise, neither one of them end up being able to escape the celebration until near nightfall. They join in the dancing and receive thanks from so many people that Elpis soon loses count. A feast is prepared and the whole of Solheim joins in and toast to their new beginning. The terrors of Ifrit's Betrayal and the War and the Scourge, while still lingering at the edges, are forgotten for a time in light of the people's joy.

Even as the night falls, the celebration does not let up. People are no longer terrified of the shadows. The daemons will haunt them no more.

Ardyn finds her dozing at the feast table they'd hastily erected, head propped up on her hand. Elpis mumbles as he picks her up like a bride and carries her away.

"I would say something about being able to walk on my own," she says tiredly, "but no. This is nice. Don't put me down."

"I shan't, as my Queen commands," Ardyn says. Soon they're in the familiar surroundings of their home.

Elpis lifts her head from his shoulder and gazes around at the humble house. "I suppose we won't be living here much longer, will we?" she says. "Kings and Queens live in castles."

Ardyn nudges open the door to their bedroom with his foot, then closes it the same way once they're inside. "We've no castle yet," he says as he gingerly sets them both down on their pallet. Once she's resting against his chest, he begins unpinning the headscarf from her hair. "So pay no mind to your heartache. We'll be here for a while. I've no wish to live in a grand castle while there are others who still have no roofs over their heads. We'll rebuild the rest of Solheim first, and then focus on ourselves."

"How perfectly noble of you."

Ardyn grins and begins unlacing her dress. She's long since stopped wearing her armor, as there's no longer any need. The few predators that remain in Eos don't require her to wear it anymore. He undresses her until she's in her shift, then takes up a brush and begins combing her hair.

"I was wondering, actually," he says at length, "if we should rebuild Solheim."

"Hmm?"

"There are too many memories here," he says. Then, his voice turning quiet, he says, "There are too many nightmares here. We should look to a land that doesn't bear the scars of the gods' wrath. Somewhere new.

"And," he continues, "without the sins of my parents."

Elpis considers his words. "A new kingdom of light," she says thoughtfully. "I think I like the sound of it."

He sets her hair over one shoulder and nuzzles the back of her neck, breathing her in deeply. "We've time to think about it.

"True," she says. She turns and helps him undress and wash up for the night. Then, together, they curl up underneath their blanket, weariness weighing their limbs down, the knowledge of what they still have left to accomplish set aside to worry over later.

"Thank you, Elpis," Ardyn whispers into her hair. "I couldn't have done any of this without you."

"Yes you could," she murmurs sleepily. "It was your destiny to be King."

Ardyn's arm tightens around her waist. "You're my destiny."

She falls asleep before she can reply, a small smile on her lips.

When she wakes, Ardyn is sitting at their bedroom window, looking out. He seems so lost in thought that she dare not distract him. Instead she merely drinks him in, studying every line of his body, the sound of his breathing, taking in the simple fact that he's alive. After a time Elpis finally gets up and they prepare for the day together.

 _To the Chosen Ones, this voice is heard._

Elpis stops in the process of pinning her headscarf. She looks to Ardyn and sees her surprise mirrored on his face.

 _When dawn breaks, go to the place where once fire reigned in Solheim,_ Shiva says. _Beyond the doors does Eos await you. The Crystal will complete your Ascension and crown you King and Oracle._

They wait, but Shiva is apparently not going to be more forthcoming. Elpis gives Ardyn a confused look. "The Crystal?"

He shrugs helplessly. "I'd heard that there was something like that in Ifrit's castle," he says. "But no one human has ever seen it, and no one went looking for it after the War. Frankly, I'd assumed it was a metaphor for something."

"Eos awaits us," Elpis repeats slowly. "As in... our star itself? A physical manifestation of it?"

Ardyn shrugs again. "At this point, I'm not surprised."

"Mm," Elpis says with a resigned smile. "Neither am I, honestly."

"And as long as neither one of us is stabbed again, I'd say I'm looking forward to this," Ardyn says, placing his arm over her shoulders and leading her out of their bedroom. They both almost trip over Adeo, who seems not to have made it to his own bed and instead made the floor his pallet. Elpis can hear Somnus snoring from his room and tries hard not to giggle.

Deus, meanwhile, is already making them breakfast. Soon everyone wakes up and joins them, and their house is once again filled with the laughter of her tribe. When Ardyn tells them of Shiva's words, everyone immediately volunteers to go with them.

"And don't bother trying to say no," Adeo says. "You'd have better luck getting Somnus to willingly eat a vegetable."

Somnus shrugs unrepentantly. "He's right."

Elpis snorts and shares a smile with Ardyn. _How lucky we are,_ she thinks, _to have such friends. To have people who love us so dearly._

As the sky begins to lighten, Elpis puts on a orange and red dress with bright green embroidery. It's the last one she has from her life in the desert. It feels right to wear it now, as she goes to meet her future. Ardyn, meanwhile, dresses once against in his healer's robe.

"I don't want to forget how I started," he says when he catches her curious look. "I began as a healer, and no matter if I wear a crown or not, I'll always be one."

Near bursting with pride, she wraps her arms around his shoulders and kisses him. "When this is done," she says lowly against his mouth, "I'm going to drag you back here and have you all to myself." To emphasize her point, she bites his bottom lip and pulls at it gently.

He groans and pulls away. "Keep that up and we won't make it to the castle today."

"That would be a pity."

"Not really."

"You two are revolting," Somnus says from the open doorway. "This is almost as bad as the time you came out without a tunic on and showed off the marks she left on you. Proudly. That will be in my head for the rest of my life."

Grinning, Ardyn claps a hand on his shoulder affectionately. "Wait until you've a wife, Somnus," he says. "You'll be the same."

"Gods, I pray not." He's smiling as he says it, though.

Once everyone is ready, she and Ardyn lead the way into the Old City. A few people tag along, and then, somehow, word spreads of what they're about to do. A crowd soon gathers, following them into the Old City. Elpis even catches sight of Sollemnia and Therasia in the crowd. Elpis takes Ardyn's hand and they hold on to each other as they come upon the old castle. Unlike the bright buildings in the new city, the remains of Ifrit's palace are black with fire.

Yet she cannot deny that the air itself feels... different. As it did when Bahamut and the others appeared on Angelgard. Heavier. Whatever lies in the castle is not the same as the gods.

Crescentia clasps her hand nervously. "I'm not sure, but I feel as if something's pulling me here."

Elpis pauses and casts a glance at her. Now that she thinks on it, she has no idea if Crescentia's powers still remain. Since she's the Chosen Oracle, did that mean Bahamut stripped Crescentia of her abilities?

Now is not the time to ask. Instead she merely nods and gives Crescentia a smile. "Then you must answer the call."

"If there's anything we've learned in the last few months," Ardyn says, "it's not to ignore the gods."

Somnus' expression in withdrawn, his hand on the hilt of his sword, as he gazes up at the castle. Ardyn notices and places a hand on his shoulder once more. "Are you well, brother?"

Somnus smiles briefly. "There aren't many happy memories here," he says. "Maybe today we'll get to make one, though."

"Unusually optimistic," Deus notes, his voice deadpan.

"Shut up."

Laughing, they all head into the palace. No one else follows, though the crowd waits at the bottom of the stairs. Soon enough Ardyn takes up the front of the line, Adeo following closely behind he and Elpis, as they're one of the few people with knowledge of the castle's layout. Elpis' eyes slowly adjust to the dark, cut through with only a few beams of sunlight.

She jumps in horror as she realizes a skeleton lay in front of her. "Gods above," she whispers, and sends a prayer for the poor soul.

Grim, Somnus steps around it. "No one came here afterwards to search for bodies," he says.

"It probably won't be the last one we see," Adeo says.

"Oh," Crescentia says quietly, her face white as she avoids another skeleton. "I hadn't realized... how awful."

Ardyn squeezes Elpis' hand and leans in to murmur to her. "We'll be free of here soon enough," he says. "Stay strong, my Queen."

Nodding, Elpis averts her gaze from the floor, though she feels like a coward for doing so. She cannot stand to see the forgotten remains of people who never returned home, and whom were left behind by their loved ones out of fear. Her heart cannot take it.

"You're right," she says to Ardyn. "We should build elsewhere." She does not want her future home erected on the ashes of the murdered.

They head further into the castle, until it seems as if they come into the very center of it. Inexplicably, a doorway stands before them, completely unharmed by fire. A heavy coating of dust covers it, but the metal still shines. Elpis can make out the symbol of Solheim etched into the doors.

The air becomes denser. Ardyn holds a hand out to the doors, then stops. "This is it."

After a moment, Adeo says, "Are you waiting for an invitation or something?"

"And there goes our grand, sacred moment," Deus says. "Look, there it goes, out that hole in the wall. Swift as you please."

"You're not helping," Somnus says with barely restrained laughter.

Ardyn shares a look with Elpis. Together, they approach the doors and push them open. The metal scratches along the stone floor, letting out a teeth-grindingly high pitched cry.

"I really hope there aren't any ghosts here," Crescentia says. "That would have woken them all up."

"I'll protect you if there are," Somnus says.

"Who's revolting now, Som?" Ardyn says, then falls silent as he looks into the chamber.

Before them, high up on a pedestal, a Crystal floats in the air. Soft, cold blue light emanates from it. A sharp dagger of pain goes through Elpis' mind as she stares at it and she restrains herself from wincing. A deep sense of unease rises in her chest. The same sense of foreboding that she felt when she looked upon the prison of Angelgard.

 _Why?_ she wonders. This is where she's meant to be. Why does the Crystal inspire a sort of fear in her?

Without giving voice to her thoughts, she follows Ardyn down the center of the room, up to the Crystal. The others keep a respectful distance behind them. As they come to stand before the Crystal, its light brightens slightly.

 _Gods' Chosen Ones,_ a voice says. Elpis recognizes it as Bahamut's. Only this time, the mere sound of his voice isn't bringing her to her knees. _Step forth and be deemed worthy by Eos. Become the Crystal's Chosen._

Ardyn hesitates, and in that hesitation, Elpis knows he's thinking the same thing she is: Weren't they already Chosen?

 _They have doubts._ The voice that speaks now is neither male nor female, neither high nor low, nor old or young; it is all of these things at once. Behind them, Crescentia gasps, and Elpis realizes she at least can hear the Crystal as well.

 _Come,_ the Crystal says. _Let my light illuminate your souls, that I may find you worthy to lead the new world, that I may grant you the powers to protect me from the darkness._

"But..." Elpis stops. Then shakes her head. "The darkness is gone. The Scourge is gone."

 _Is it?_

Without warning, the Crystal flares to life, shining its blue light on them both. Beside her, Elpis feels Ardyn tense-

And then he lets out a horrifying scream. His hands go to his head as he falls to his knees. Somnus shouts his brother's name, but it's lost under the Crystal's voice.

 _Fool,_ it says. _You were given your powers to heal the Scourge, but you chose to take the daemons into your own soul. You thought you were noble in your suffering for those you healed. And now you are the Scourge itself._

"Stop," Elpis says, having come to kneel beside Ardyn. "Stop it, please."

 _Silence! Look upon your lover, Oracle, and see him for what he has become._

Shaking, Ardyn lets his hands fall from his face. Elpis recoils in shock as the familiar Miasma rises around him, as he breathes out the very stuff. The Scourge trails from his eyes and a corner of his mouth, as if his body is a bowl that's been overfilled. Dark veins show underneath his deathly white skin. His sclera are pitch black and shining, and the amber eyes that she loves so much glow yellow.

Ardyn is not a daemon. He is the Scourge.

"Ardyn?" Somnus says quietly, his face stricken.

"What the hell is going on?" Adeo asks, his sword drawn, though there is no clear enemy for him to strike. Crescentia's hands have gone to her mouth in horror.

"But that-that was the price," Elpis stammers. She stands in front of Ardyn, as if to protect him from the Crystal. "Bahamut said Ardyn would be the cage and I the key. We agreed to this."

 _I will never allow one so impure of body and spirit and mind to take up a sword in my name. I will not allow him to have my power._

"Then don't," Elpis says frantically. "Don't give him your power. Let someone else be your protector and king. Just, please-"

"El," he says, his voice a mere husk of what it was, "don't."

Shaking, he stands once more. His hand clutches the fabric at his chest, as if he could claw his way to his own heart. He looks up at the Crystal desperately, terrified, and then twitches. He shakes his head, a low snarl escaping him.

 _Gods,_ Elpis thinks. _Gods, please, help us. Help us._

They do not answer.

 _His very body is corrupted,_ the Crystal says. _I would have chosen you, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, to be King._

"This is madness," Somnus says, coming up beside his brother. "He did what he did to save us. How can you punish him for that?"

 _I am not punishing him,_ the Crystal says. _In fact, I offer salvation._

Ardyn seems to return to his right mind, and he looks up at the Crystal with so much hope it breaks Elpis' heart. "Salvation?"

 _Your Oracle once bore the Scourge as well,_ the Crystal says. Ardyn jerks in surprise and looks at her in horror. _Though she carries it no longer. If you wish to rid me of this plague for good, O King, give unto her the Scourge. Let her be changed by it as you have been. And then cut out her heart._

"My gods," Crescentia whimpers.

"What?" Ardyn stares up at the Crystal as if he can no longer understand it.

"Fine," Elpis says, holding out an arm in front of him to protect him. "I'll do it."

 _It is not your choice! If Ardyn wishes to be King and wishes his life to be spared, if he wishes to wield my power and pass it down through his line, then this is the price. Bahamut told you there cannot be anything received without something given in return, child. This is what must be given now: the life of your Oracle, that your people will be spared the Scourge._

Slowly, Ardyn turns to look at her. His eyes roam her face, her body, and in the silence, she can tell he's thinking of every moment they've spent together. Of every moment they would have spent together. The daughter and unborn child they wait for. The life they would have had, spent in the sun.

"Please," Elpis says quietly, urgently. "Please, don't."

She's not begging him to refuse. She's begging him to agree. Because she knows what his decision is before he even says it.

Ardyn takes one last look at her before turning to the Crystal. "No."

"Ardyn!" Somnus shouts, only to be held back by Adeo.

 _Impudent fool!_ the Crystal rages. _Unwilling to sacrifice one woman for the sake of the world? You are no King!_

"No," Ardyn says wearily. "I'm not. I'm a healer. And this one woman is worth more to me than the entire world over. She is my world." Then, slowly, a cruel grin breaks out on his face. He lifts his arms out to his sides. "How does it feel, Eos? To know that you are worth less than one shortlived human? That I could deny you so easily, as you have denied me?"

The light grows brighter until it blinds Elpis. _Exist as the Scourge you once fought so valiantly to destroy, then, O Healer of Solheim,_ the Crystal says. _You shall never know peace until you die, Accursed._

Before she can react, Elpis feels something _tear_ inside her soul. Screaming, she falls to the floor, as the powers that the gods granted her are ripped from her smallest cells. She can feel the Divine Light leave her spirit.

 _There are others who will take up your crown,_ the Crystal says. _They are before you now. Somnus Lucis Caelum: I proclaim you my new Chosen King._

"What?" Elpis hears Ardyn say. "No."

Elpis slowly gets to her knees, forcing her body to do as she says. Every single muscle hurts and her strength has utterly left her. But Ardyn still needs her.

"I..." Somnus says, at a loss.

 _I see you are a good man, a noble man, of strong heart,_ the Crystal says. _Untouched by the Scourge. Tell me, Chosen, will you kill your brother to rid your kingdom of his plague?_

Somnus swallows thickly, staring up at the Crystal with wide, horrified eyes. Then, slowly, he says, "You cannot cure him on your own?"

 _No. The Scourge will remain in his soul forevermore._

"I don't... understand. I don't understand why you can't help him." Somnus shakes his head, looking so much like a scared little boy that Elpis' heart aches for him. "How can I kill him?"

 _A King must always make sacrifices,_ the Crystal says. _Even those of his own blood. He is not your brother any longer._

Laughing weakly, Ardyn turns until he sees Somnus. "You've always been jealous," he says. "Don't deny it, Somnus. Ever since we were children. You hated being in my shadow, didn't you? Hated that I was Chosen while you, in all your piety, were ignored?"

"Stop it," Somnus says. "Of course I was jealous. But that doesn't mean I want you dead, you idiot."

Choose, _Somnus!_

"Stop it!" Crescentia cries.

 _Will you be the Light to his eternal Darkness?_

"I'm growing bored with this," Ardyn says. He looks at Elpis, and for a moment, the hatred on his face cracks. Then it returns and he faces the Crystal. "And you have hurt Elpis."

"Ardyn, don't," Elpis says, getting one foot under her. She has to stop this. She has to stop him. Even if her body feels no more consequential than a feather on the air.

With a flick of his hands, his Armiger appears, doused in bright red. "Allow me to spare you the choice, Somnus," he sneers, "and destroy the Crystal instead."

"No!" Somnus runs forward, sword out. The clang as his blade meets Ardyn's echoes throughout the chamber.

"Hah!" Ardyn laughs, pushing him back. "So you'll be a King after all?" He fends off a strike from Adeo, a wild grin on his face. "It looks as if you have a shield to protect you, O King!"

Growling, Somnus raises his sword. It hits the metal of Elpis' stave and sparks fly from it. She shoves him away, knees trembling, and takes up a place in front of Ardyn.

 _You have chosen your sides,_ the Crystal notes. _What is your answer, Somnus?_

Somnus stares at Ardyn for what seems to Elpis like an eternity. The darkness in Ardyn's voice cracks minutely as he says, "Som."

Resolve hardens Somnus' features. In a clear voice, he says, "I accept."

Glass breaks as swords glowing with blue light appear in the air around Somnus. Elpis takes a step back until she runs into Ardyn, who puts a hand on her waist.

 _No,_ Elpis thinks as she takes in the scene. _No, no, no._ Somnus is advancing on them reluctantly, with Adeo close behind. Deus is protecting Crescentia, but Elpis knows he's a capable fighter as well.

And they have all taken up against Ardyn.

Against Somnus, she knows she could win. But against two, even three? She has no chance.

She hears a click behind her and then a burst of air as an arrow flies past her. It strikes Adeo in the shoulder. Ardyn, smiling, lets go of the crossbow and lets it return to its place in his Armiger.

With an enraged roar, Somnus rushes them. Elpis hits his knee with her stave and then aims a hit to his face. His unharmed leg swings out and takes her feet out from under her before her stave can connect and she hits the hard stone with a yelp. Then, above her, Ardyn's sword comes down. Somnus barely dodges, his cloak catching the blade and tearing. Ardyn's blade strikes the stone instead.

Then he raises a hand and, in his palm, a roiling mass of darkness appears. "It seems I've a few new tricks," he notes casually. "Let's see what they do, shall we?"

He throws the darkness and it hits Somnus in the chest and sends him flying through the air. A piece separates from the main body and hits Deus as he runs towards them. Elpis stands and presses a hand to Ardyn's chest to keep him from getting closer.

Ardyn looks down at her. "El? I-agh," he groans, and slowly, the Scourge's marks fade from him. His sclera turn white once more and his skin becomes warm. He looks down at his hand, then up at Somnus. "Som..."

"We have to leave," Elpis says, grabbing his wrist tightly. "We have to run. Now!"

Without argument, Ardyn follows her as she runs past the others. Crescentia calls after her, but Elpis ignores it. They are not safe there. They are not safe from their loved ones.

They may never be safe again.

* * *

Somnus stands as Elpis and Ardyn disappear into the shadows of the castle. Feet away, Deus helps Adeo to his feet. Crescentia stands in silence, tears rolling down her cheeks.

 _I am sorry,_ the Crystal says. _I know I ask much of you._

"Sacrifices must be made," Somnus says blankly. It's safer to be blank. Safer to be numb, so he cannot face the horror of what happened just yet. A coward's way out, but he cannot help it.

"Som," Crescentia says, approaching him. "Are you really going to kill Ardyn?"

Somnus regards his sword grimly. His knee throbs where Elpis hit it, though he knows she would have broken it if she thought it necessary. She had no desire to fight him just as he had none to fight her. Slowly, he sheathes his sword and looks to the Crystal.

"I'd rather my brother be dead than cursed," Somnus says. "If I must do kill him so he can find peace, then I will. Not because I want a crown, or mystical powers. I would choose Ardyn over those any day. But the Crystal is right: That thing is not my brother any longer."

His words are met with silence until Deus says, "Then we hunt them down?"

"No," Somnus says. "I hunt them down. I will not ask you three to bear this burden with me. Please, let me see to it myself."

"What of Elpis?" Crescentia asks fretfully.

He winces, and feels the first cracks appear in his heart. They'd had their differences over the years. Yet he had come to respect her, in a way, and what was more, he liked the way Ardyn was with her. She was right that he had been jealous once, but he'd outgrown it. He did not want to see her suffer. He would have called her sister.

"She won't let us harm Ardyn without a fight," Adeo says slowly, as the realization sinks in for all of them.

"Let us pray she sees sense instead," Somnus says, even as he knows it to be a false hope. "Maybe she'll see that Ardyn will suffer if he lives this way."

Crescentia shakes her head. "You'd be asking her to rip her own heart out."

"What other course do I have?" Somnus snaps. "Kill her as well?"

They all stare at him as he realizes that, yes. It may very well come to that. He may very well have to stain his hands with the blood of not only his brother, but the woman his brother loved.

 _Gods, please,_ Somnus prays. _Give me the strength to see this through. Give me the strength to run my blade through Ardyn's heart so that he'll find peace in the beyond._

 _And do not let it come to that with Elpis._

* * *

Elpis hands Ardyn a bowl of stew as she sits next to him. "Here. You need to eat."

Listlessly, he waves it away. "I'm not hungry."

Helpless, Elpis merely sets it down between them and eats her own dinner. They've been on the run for a fortnight now, hiding in the forests and wetlands that surround Solheim. Every now and then, a group from Solheim comes perilously close to finding them. Elpis has little doubt that they do not mean them well should they be found.

 _Blessed to hunted in just a fortnight,_ Elpis thinks. _Was this our destiny all along?_

As the days passed, she'd done her best to take care of Ardyn. Except he seems to need no care at all. He no longer eats, and when she's woken in the night, it's to find him wide awake. The stubble on his jaw has not grown at all. She's not ready to confront what it all means yet.

Elpis prods at their camp fire with a stick. "When night falls, I'll look at the stars and see where we are, and how much farther it'll be until we reach the desert. Once we're there, I'll beg my mother and Charis to hide us." She sighs. "I have to hope Somnus doesn't remember the way there. Or won't have someone guide him."

Ardyn stirs minutely, his gaze on the flames. Light, at least, does not seem to hurt him as it did the daemons. "He will find us eventually."

"Maybe."

"There's no 'maybe' about it, El," he says, and he sounds exhausted down to his very bones. "We'll be running for the rest of our lives."

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Elpis snaps wearily. "Give up?"

Ardyn finally meets her gaze. She shakes her head before he can get a word out. "No. Don't you dare say it, Ardyn."

The corner of his mouth twitches upwards in an echo of his old smile. "I didn't say anything."

"Keep it that way."

Slowly, he takes her hand in his and she shivers. He hasn't purposefully touched her since they ran from the Crystal. He seems to be too afraid to do so. Words cannot express how deeply she misses his touch.

"You don't have to stay with me," he says, catching her offguard. "You can leave me behind and live the rest of your life in peace."

"How the hell would I be able to know peace if I left you?" Elpis says, her voice fierce. "Don't talk to me if you're just going to suggest stupid, worthless, idiotic-"

She breaks down in tears, hiding her face in her palms. She hears movement beside her and then feels Ardyn's arms encircle her, pulling her close. She buries her face into his chest.

"I'm sorry," Ardyn says. "You're right. I should have known better than to suggest it."

"That's right," she mumbles pitifully against his chest. As quickly as the tears came, rage soon replaces them. "Was this their plan all along? Was this our destiny?"

"I don't know, El," Ardyn says distantly. "I don't know what the gods are thinking anymore. Maybe they had one plan, and the Crystal had another."

"It's been two weeks since the Crystal rejected us," Elpis says. "I have prayed again and again and I have heard _nothing_ from them! Why have they abandoned us now?"

"I don't know," Ardyn repeats, and only when she hears the weariness in his voice does she stop. He strokes her hair slowly. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Elpis says. "You're the one who's been wronged."

"We both have." Ardyn sighs and kisses the top of her head. "At least I have you in my damnation."

"Don't talk like that," she says, gripping his tunic. "You aren't damned. And you'll always have me."

Ardyn smiles, but it's such a sad smile that Elpis immediately knows something is wrong. "I know I will. And I cannot thank you enough for that."

Uncertain how to respond, Elpis merely studies him, trying to figure out what he isn't telling her. It isn't until she feels the sleep weighing her limbs down that she looks at the stew with a dawning horror.

"You didn't," she says, looking up at Ardyn.

Ardyn cups her chin and tilts her head further back, then kisses her sweetly. When he pulls away, his expression is sad - but resolute. "I pray you'll forgive me one day, El. But this is no life for you, and it is not a life for me, either. I will not be the Accursed. The only way to do that is to die." He strokes her cheek. "You would never allow that."

"Ardyn-" She tries to move, but her body is quickly becoming heavier, in contrast to her growing panic.

"Shh," he says as he stands, leaving her on the ground. He takes his healer's robe and drapes it over her body. "You'll wake in a day or two. I know my potions."

Elpis reaches a hand out to him. It falls to the dirt with a heavy thump. Against her will, her eyes begin to droop shut. "Ardyn..."

"I love you, Elpis. Never forget that. You've been the light in my darkness all these years."

Ardyn turns his back on her and walks away. It is the last she sees of him before his drugged sleep claims her.

* * *

The walls of Solheim's Lower City greet him impassively. A guard near the gate sees him and shouts, pulling his sword free of his sheath.

 _Kill him,_ the voices whisper in his mind. _Turn him._ There are so many voices in his head now that sometimes he doesn't know which is his own.

Ardyn continues walking. He approaches the gate with both hands up in defeat. "I come in peace," he says. "I wish to speak to my brother."

The guards look at each other. "Fine," one says. "We'll take you to the King."

Ardyn smiles humorlessly. Somnus certainly wasted no time, did he? His smile fades quickly. He would have protected Somnus from the burden of a crown, from the burden of any of this, if he'd could.

The guards escort him through the streets of Solheim. All around him, the people he's known his entire life stop and stare, while ones he's only known for a few years do the same. Therasia glares at him from her open doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Others murmur to each other. _How fast the tide can turn,_ Ardyn reflects, _when divine beings declare you a monster._ It is only then he begins to feel his anger stir.

They come to his old home. Word must have reached Somnus early, for he stands outside the house, his expression grim. Crescentia stands behind him, biting her lip.

"King Somnus," Ardyn says when he comes to a stop. He raises an eyebrow. "It makes you sound like a pompous ass."

If things were normal, Somnus would have laughed. He might have even agreed with Ardyn. But this new King Somnus merely deepens his frown.

"I know you aren't my brother," he says, "so don't act like him. You shame his memory."

"Ah," Ardyn says slowly. "Is that how you've reconciled yourself to this? You've told yourself that I'm only something wearing your brother's form?" He shrugs with a slow grin. "I must commend myself on choosing such a fine form, then."

"Silence," Somnus says, hand going to his sword hilt.

"Ah, ah," Ardyn says. "I'm not here to fight, Som. I'm here to give myself over."

Somnus waits, brow furrowed.

"I won't fight you. I won't fight destiny," Ardyn says. "The Crystal has declared me a dead man. Let's make it so, Somnus. Help me find peace."

Crescentia steps forward, looking behind him. "Where's Elpis?"

Ardyn keeps his face straight. "She let me go. She was disgusted by what I've turned into."

To further his point, he lets go of the darkness just under his skin, and lets the whole of Solheim see what he has become. People gasp, some even shriek, and everyone save Somnus and Crescentia back away as the Miasma rises around him.

"Who can blame her?" Ardyn asks, grinning. "Not even our mother could love this visage, wouldn't you say?"

If he was hoping to feel any triumph at goading Somnus, he's sorely disappointed. His brother just looks at him sadly. _Stop,_ Ardyn thinks. _Enough with the sadness and the pity and the despair. Hate me, you damn fool. Make it easier for yourself. Hate me and stop my heart and then forget about me and live your life._

"All right," Somnus finally says. "We'll go to the castle. We'll... we'll have it done there."

Calm washes over him, even as the voices inside his head shriek with fury. This is right, Ardyn tells himself. This is his destiny. He will die, Eos will be saved, and one by one, everyone who ever knew him will move on.

Even Elpis. His bright, shining sun will go on to share her light with another. She'll live the life she's meant to, and he will be only a memory. A painful one, maybe, but a memory all the same.

Smiling, Ardyn turns his face to the sunlight. "Let it be done."

As they did a fortnight ago, the people follow them to Ifrit's castle. They give Ardyn and his Scourge a wide berth. He mounts the steps with Somnus, his friends following behind.

The brothers stand and regard each other. Ardyn wonders when Somnus' face grew to be lined, when his jawline became so sharp and defined. Where is the little brother he loved and protected? For all that Ardyn hates the gods for what they have done to Elpis, he hates what they have done to Somnus just as much.

"I'm sorry," Somnus says at last, voice cracking.

"Don't be, little brother," Ardyn says with an easy smile. He lifts his arms. "It's destiny."

With that, he turns to face the crowd and gets on his knees. There's no place for him to set his head, so he'll have to face his death whilst looking out at the people he saved. The people who look upon him with fear now.

 _I must admit,_ Ardyn thinks as he hears Somnus unsheathe his sword, _the gods know how to play one hell of a trick._

"The Crystal has deemed this man, Ardyn, the Accursed, who is the Scourge in physical form, to be killed," Somnus says out to the crowd. "As your King, I will ask no other to stain their hands. As his brother, I will not dishonor him by taking the coward's way out. I will fulfill the Crystal's wish and... and execute him myself. May the gods have mercy upon his soul and mine."

Ardyn smiles and glances back at Somnus. "Well done, Som."

When he turns back, however, motion catches his eye. His heart, or whatever remains of it, drops into his stomach.

"No!" Elpis cries, shoving her way through the crowd. She looks like a half-wild thing, leaves in her hair, dirt on her clothes. "Please, no!"

"Somnus," Adeo says, waiting for a command.

"Som," Ardyn says, keeping his gaze on Elpis, "don't let her see this. Please. I beg of you."

Elpis reaches the steps leading up to them. Somnus must give Adeo some sign, for the big man is soon upon her, grabbing up her arms and hauling her away from them. She shrieks with unfettered rage, kicking her legs to free herself. They glance off Adeo meaninglessly.

 _He's hurting her,_ the voices in his head writhe. _Hurt him back. Kill him. Kill him._

Ardyn keeps himself on his knees and closes his eyes, to spare himself the sight of Elpis as she fights for him.

"Do it, Somnus," he whispers. He feels the wind in his hair and the sun on his face and calls up the dearest memories he has: Somnus as a child, brandishing a wooden sword, gaps in his smile where he'd lost teeth. He remembers each and every person he ever saved. And then, he pictures Elpis. On the beach, the sun shining down on her, glowing in her hair. The shell he proposed with in her hand as she smiles brilliantly at him.

He hears the swing of the sword and knows nothing more.

* * *

Ardyn's blood sprays on her face as his head lands with a sickening thud on the stones.

Elpis goes limp. She cannot seem to look away from the bloodied stump where Ardyn's head once rested. At some point, Adeo must let her go, because she feels something warm sinking into her shoes.

She looks down. Ardyn's blood is pooling at her feet.

With a raw, wordless scream, she balls up her fists and makes to run towards Somnus-only to slip in Ardyn's blood, crashing to the stone platform. All the fight leaves her in that one fall. A ragged sob heaves itself from her chest. She wails as she lies in Ardyn's cooling blood, until she feels hands under her arms.

Deus lifts her to her feet and Crescentia pulls one of her arms around her shoulders. Together, they carry her off, away from the dead body that was once her husband, away from the brother who must clean his blood from his blade, away from the people who owe him their lives.

Elpis hates them all.

* * *

"Are you all right?" Adeo asks as Somnus leans against an alley wall.

Somnus vomits in response. He empties his stomach until he's left retching nothing but air. Tears stream down his face, and he's certain he'll never feel whole again.

"I just killed my brother," he sobs. "And Elpis' face-gods, Adeo. How do I go on?"

Adeo puts a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have a choice."

Somnus falls to his knees, buries his face in his hands, and cries until his throat aches.

* * *

"Elpis?" Crescentia's voice seems far away. "I brought you some breakfast."

A plate full of food is set before her. Elpis stares at it, then looks back out the window. "I'm not hungry."

"I know," Crescentia says, "but try to eat anyway? It's been a few days. You need your strength."

"I can't."

Crescentia sits across from her, blue eyes worried. "I'm so sorry," she says. "Ardyn wouldn't want you to hurt yourself like this, though. Especially not for so many months."

Slowly, Elpis turns until her glare lands on Crescentia. "Don't," she hisses, "you dare tell me what he would and wouldn't want."

An uneasy silence falls between them. If she weren't in such an unforgiving mood, Elpis would feel sorry for Crescentia. But every time she closes her eyes, she sees Ardyn's headless body in front of her, feels his blood drying on her skin, and she curses them all over again. How can she explain what it's like to walk the world now that Ardyn is gone from it? How can she explain that she watches the world continue on outside her window as if her own hasn't ended and loathes every single person sees?

"Um," Crescentia says uncertainly, "I thought you'd want to know... they-they buried Ardyn after his-well. If you wanted to, um, see his tomb, I could take you there."

Elpis considers this. Did she want to see it? Frankly, she's surprised Somnus even thought to put up a tomb for his brother, the _Accursed_. It wouldn't be a tomb befitting a healer or a king, but it would be something.

At length, she nods once and stands. "Let's go."

"Now?"

"Yes, now." Elpis resists the urge to glare once more. It takes too much effort, honestly.

"Ah, um, r-right."

Crescentia leads the way out of the house, where Elpis has been confronted with memories of Ardyn at every turn. She's even slept with some of the clothes he'd left behind. One day, they'll no longer smell like him, and Elpis doesn't know what she'll do when that happens.

They leave the Lower City and head into the forest. A cave soon greets them and Crescentia comes to a sudden stop, Elpis nearly running into her.

Somnus stands before the cave. When he hears them, he turns and his expression tightens. "Crescentia. Elpis."

Elpis cannot look at him without wanting to throw up or punch him or both. She averts her gaze. Somnus approaches Crescentia and pulls her aside. "I thought I told you not to bring her here, ever."

"Som, she needs closure-"

"I understand that-"

"Do you? Because you haven't explained to me why she can't be here."

"It's complicated."

Crescentia crosses her arms over her chest. "Then make it uncomplicated for me, Somnus."

Elpis listens with a vague curiousity. Why does Somnus not want her to see Ardyn's grave? Her need to see it was not great until she hears how fervently he argues against it.

Quietly, Elpis walks past them while they're debating. Even in her bright dress and Ardyn's white robe, she knows how to go unnoticed. At the mouth of the cave, she pauses to call forth light, then stops when nothing happens.

 _Right,_ she thinks. _My powers are gone._ A surprising sense of loss hits her. She never thought she would grow so used to her powers that she would mourn them when they were gone. She will just have to do this the old fashioned way, then, and waits for her eyes to adjust to the darkness inside.

Hand trailing on the cave wall to help her stay upright, Elpis squints until she sees the back of the cave. Then she blinks, and looks again, but what she saw the first time holds true:

The tomb is empty. There's not even a marker to show where his grave should be. When she looks closer, Elpis sees that the dirt is undisturbed. No one has been digging any graves here.

"Elpis!" Somnus' voice makes her turn on her heel, pinning him with her stare.

"Where is it?" she asks, her voice carrying a dangerous note. "Where is his grave? It's not here."

"What?" Crescentia peers past her, then gasps. "It's empty."

Clenching his jaw, Somnus looks away from her. "This is... a fake tombsite. We couldn't risk people coming and desecrating it because of what he... became."

Elpis glares. "You're a worse liar than I am. Where is it?"

"Enough!" Somnus steps away from her, matching her glare with his own. "I would have no reason to lie about this, especially not to you. Now both of you, leave here."

A twinge of pain bursts into being behind her eyes, and Elpis sees the Angelgard prison once more. She rubs her temple, trying to shake the pain off.

 _I don't understand,_ she thinks. _I don't have my powers any more, so this can't be a vision. Is it?_

"Are you well?" Somnus asks, and to his credit, he sounds truly concerned.

Calm falls over her. Elpis stares at the empty tomb and once more feels the strings of fate pulling her in a different direction.

"I'm fine," she says numbly. And then she leaves without another word to either of them.

Aquila gives a halfhearted kweh when she arrives with some seeds. Elpis blinks back tears as she pets his head. "I know," she says quietly as Aquila eats. "I miss him, too. And I'm sorry to ask you to take a journey while you're grieving, but this is important. So please. Take me one last time to the Isle where the gods sat."

She prepares him for a ride and gives him one last encouraging pat after she mounts. Then, with a flick of the reins, they're off.

* * *

Elpis had hoped to never see the Isle of Angelgard ever again.

Aquila evidently feels the same, as the poor chocobo throws a tantrum when she tries to bring him closer to the water. Finally giving up, she leaves him with a kindly old woman who coos over his rare coloring. Aquila preens under her attention, causing Elpis to smile for the first time in months.

"You may keep him, if you wish," Elpis tells the woman. "I'll have no need of him after today."

The old woman blinks in surprise. "Are you certain? You seem awfully close."

"We've been through much together," Elpis says. "Which is why he now deserves a good retirement, and to get as fat as he can stand." She presses her face to Aquila's beak one last time and says goodbye.

Whatever she finds at Angelgard-and she still doesn't know what that might be-Elpis intends to leave for the desert afterwards. A part of her wishes she had never left in the first place. The outsider's world has only broken her, in the end.

She haggles with a gentleman about borrowing a boat and soon she's on her way. She has no desire to linger on the beach any longer than she must. She still carries the seashell with her, safe in her purse, though she's not looked at it for months. She does so now, while the gentleman rows her to the Isle.

 _What will I find at Angelgard, Ardyn?_ she wonders. _Your true grave? Or am I on a wild chocobo chase to nothing?_

"Y'know," the man rowing the boat says. Elpis did not catch his name. "Buddy of mine says a few months back-damn, maybe six or so by now-he saw people rowing out to the Isle in the middle of the damn night. He didn't stop 'em or nothing, just watched. Said it was some dark haired guy and some others."

All at once, she's alert. "Really? Did he say anything else?"

"Nah," the man says. "Just that they rowed out there, then a few hours later rowed back. Some of the people were cryin', I think. Never saw neither hide nor hair of 'em myself. I was sleepin' like normal folk do at night."

Elpis puts the shell back into her purse and turns to look at the Isle. Why had Somnus not told her this was where he'd buried Ardyn? And why had he chosen Angelgard, of all places? Was it because of what they'd gone through here?

When they hit the land, Elpis thanks the man and pays him extra to wait for her. Then she begins her search.

A search that winds up with nothing. She can see no gravemarkers or hastily erected tombs. Since the Isle isn't large enough to require an hours long search, for a moment, Elpis is at a loss.

Until the familiar sense of foreboding sinks its teeth into her. Slowly, she turns until she sees the stone prison.

 _No,_ she thinks incredulously. The staves are still cold and mundane when she touches one. No magic has been set into them of late. She lingers outside the entrance. It's the last place she's yet to look. And she knows, logically, it makes sense. No one will ever use it for a prison again, so to remake it as a tomb shouldn't fill her with so much dread.

Hesitantly, Elpis steps into the prison. Steps descending down below the ground await her, and she has to waste precious minutes finding a good chunk of driftwood and setting it alight so she doesn't fall and break her neck.

How long she searches in the darkness, she doesn't know. Every now and then she hears the scritching and scattering of feet around her, but when she looks, nothing is there. Finally, after what seems like hours of being lost in the darkness, Elpis comes upon one final door.

 _Does anyone truly hate him enough to require this much secrecy?_ Elpis wonders.

And then she hears the breathing. She freezes. _It's just an animal,_ she thinks. She steps forward all the same, torch held high, until she's in the room.

The first thing she sees are chains. They hang from the wall, held taut by something. She follows them down-

-And gives a strangled gasp when she sees Ardyn hanging from them.

"Oh my gods," she stammers. "Ardyn."

He stirs, lifting his head slowly, wincing against the light. "El?"

She drops the torch and runs to him, tripping over stones in her haste. When she reaches him, she grasps his face, stunned to find him warm to the touch. His neck shows no signs of his beheading.

"You're alive," Elpis breathes. Ardyn slowly blinks down at her, incomprehension clear in his amber eyes. She presses a hand to his chest-and stops.

He has no heartbeat.

"El," he says, his voice a hoarse whisper. "You shouldn't be here."

Elpis, too stunned by the silence in his chest, cannot immediately reply. Then she sees a piece of metal sticking out from his ribs. With a sickening lurch, she realizes it's attached to the chains. Each chain ends in a hook, and each chain has been speared through his flesh.

"Who did this to you?" she asks with unconcealed rage.

"It doesn't matter-"

"Like hell it doesn't!" Elpis reaches for the chain that's speared through his palm, only for the metal to burn her hand when she touches it. With a shocked cry, she lets go. The skin on her palm blisters. "What...?"

"The power of the Oracle."

Elpis spins around to see Somnus standing in the doorway. Ardyn lets out a low hiss behind her. Somnus steps inside slowly, his mouth set in a grim line.

"I never wanted you to see this, Elpis." Somnus shakes his head in exasperation. "Gods, why couldn't you have stayed in Solheim? I knew as soon as you left the cave that you would go looking for him."

"You did this?"

"I had to," Somnus says, his blue eyes haunted. "Ardyn... he reappeared in Solheim, after his execution. I had to kill him again. And again, he returned. The Crystal tells me this is his fate now. The Scourge itself is keeping him alive. There's been a new prophecy. The Scourge cannot be banished until the True King wields the light of the Crystal."

Elpis slowly shakes her head. "You're speaking madness."

"I speak truth," Somnus says, his tone defeated. "I am the Founder King, but I am not the True King. I cannot save my brother." He spreads his hands helplessly. "What else am I to do, Elpis? He cannot wander Eos, not as he is. He will bring the Scourge with him wherever he goes. Crescentia has been Chosen by Bahamut to be Oracle now, and she has placed powerful spells on his chains to keep him here until such time as the True King ascends and can save us all."

"The Crystal said this? The same Crystal that deemed your brother corrupted because he saved everyone?" Elpis demands.

Somnus shuts his eyes and looks as if he wish he could sleep for an eternity. "Please, Elpis. See reason."

Ardyn laughs quietly behind her. "He's always wanted me gone," he says. "How fortunate he has his beloved Crystal to choose him and grant him powers."

"Don't start that again," Somnus says.

"Free him," Elpis says. "We cannot leave him like this. There has to be another way."

"There isn't!"

"El," Ardyn says, his voice returning to its normal cadence. "El, please, listen to me. You have to leave. Do as Somnus says. I can feel it, Elpis-don't you understand? I can _hear_ it in my head. It's telling me to kill Somnus. And I want to," Ardyn says, voice cracking. "I want to kill him. I want to turn him into a daemon. I'm not the man you knew."

"No," Elpis says, pulling her stave from her back. "I don't believe you."

Somnus' hand goes to his sword. "Elpis," he pleads. "Please. Listen to Ardyn. Come away from here."

She sees the paths before her so clearly, she does not need a Messenger to tell her they're there. In one path, she does as Ardyn says and leaves him behind forever, condemning him to be chained to the walls of Angelgard until some foretold King comes to kill him for good. She buries the secret deep within her for the rest of her life. She returns to the desert, returns to her family, and tries to live the life of a forsaken Chosen. She will be an aunt to her niece, to however many other children Charis will bear. There will be those who wish for her to marry, to move on, but she never will. She will always be a soul that has been cleaved in half, and the other part of her will always be here in this prison.

The other path ends with Somnus's death. Would Ardyn ever forgive her for it?

"El," Ardyn says in a panic, "no!"

With a yell, Elpis launches herself off the stone platform and charges Somnus. He dodges the swing of her stave and spins away from her, hand reaching down to the ground to fling sand into her face when she turns. Blinded, she can do nothing as Somnus slams into her and knocks her stave from her hand. It clatters to the ground as she's pushed against the wall, Somnus' arm across her shoulders.

"Stop this!" Somnus says.

Beyond them, a low growl shivers through the air. They both look to see that Ardyn is struggling against his chains, his Scourge form revealed once more. Black liquid runs from the wounds in his body and the chains glow as he pulls on them.

"Leave her," Ardyn snarls, his voice a mangled mockery of what it once was. "Don't touch her."

She uses Somnus' distraction to take up a stone she pries loose from the wall. He moves his head out of the way of her strike, the rock hitting his shoulder instead, but it's enough to make him let her go. Elpis kicks him away from her, using the wall as leverage, then runs for her stave, picking it up once more.

Somnus has his sword out, but he holds his free hand out to her. "Stop this, Elpis."

"Free him and I will."

"Free me!" Ardyn roars.

Elpis swings her stave out once more, but instead of aiming for his body, she aims for his wrist. It connects with a crack and Somnus yells as his sword drops. Clutching his wrist, Somnus steps away, leaving an opening for Elpis to rush in and take up his sword.

Yelling, Elpis swings the blade at the chain nearest her. Light explodes from the metal when they connect and she feels herself thrown back, landing on Somnus. Ardyn screams in pain.

 _The power of the Oracle,_ Elpis thinks as she gets back to her feet. Somnus grabs her wrist and twists until it pops, the sword falling from her grasp. Elpis scrambles away before he can recover, holding her arm to her chest. She leans against the wall, breathing heavily, hair falling into her eyes.

"Elpis," Ardyn says, still straining against his bindings. His black blood-his Scourge-drips down onto the floor below him with thick plops. He shakes his head with a whine, blinking his eyes rapidly. "No, stop-"

"I can't," Elpis says, "not until you're free."

With that, she pulls a dagger free from her boot and rushes Somnus once again. And yet, she knows she's made a mistake as soon as she engages him once more. Her hand hurts too much, and there's not enough light in the cell, and they're too close, and a dagger against a sword is stupidly laughable.

It's no real surprise when Somnus finds his opening and, ever the warrior only wanting the fighting to stop, takes it without thinking.

It's not a surprise when his blade finds it mark true and runs through her chest.

That doesn't stop it from hurting.

Somnus, horrified, pulls his sword free with a sick squelch. Elpis falls, first to her knees, then to her back, her gaze up on the ceiling. Distantly, she hears Ardyn screaming. With a weak hand, she touches the wound in her chest, noting how much blood is flowing from it. Not just from it, but into her lungs and throat as well.

This was the path she hadn't seen minutes before: The one that ends with her death, not Somnus'.

 _Ardyn,_ she thinks as her vision goes hazy, _Aurea. Please forgive me. Ardyn. Dearest Ardyn._

* * *

Miles away, in a hot desert, Charis pauses in her conversation with her husband. Her mother stills beside her, and as one, they both look to the sky.

And, as one, they both begin to cry.

* * *

Somnus, hand to his mouth, steps away from Elpis' body. His sword clangs against the stone as he drops to his knees. Beside him, Ardyn rages, the Miasma flowing around him, dying when it hits the Oracle's light.

Elpis stares up at the ceiling, eyes unseeing in death. Her blood mingles with the sand.

 _Gods,_ Somnus thinks. _Was this my destiny? Was this all our destinies?_

He has never hated fate more.

* * *

 _And that is how my story ends. At least, my physical body's story._

 _Come, now. You didn't think I would let something like death stop me, did you?_

 _I will not step forth into the beyond without Ardyn. One day, a True King will rise, and Ardyn will be freed from his chains. He will need someone to free him from those chains, though._

 _A few thousand years should be long enough for me to weaken them so that someone can set him free._

 _I will see the end of the gods before I pass on. I will see the end of fate._

 _I will see Ardyn cleansed of the Scourge and, together, we will both find peace at last._

 _I am only sorry others must suffer for this to happen._

 _So, here I wait, in Ardyn's prison. I will watch over him always. We will wait in the darkness together for our True King._

 _I wait for you, Noctis. I wait for you to fulfill the prophecy and reunite me with my husband._

 _Please forgive me, that I wasn't able to spare you the same heartbreak._

 _Just a little while longer, Ardyn, my love. The darkness will not hold you forever. You will have your sun again, I swear it.  
_

* * *

NOTES: And so we come to the end of the story. Well. Maybe.

I said in the notes for chapter one that Elpis' name held a clue as to who I'd be basing her character. "Maelen" is a version of the Basque name "Maialen" that I played around with until I felt it fit the sound of the other names in Solheim/Eos. Maialen itself is the Basque version of the name "Magdalene." Mary Magdalene, of course, was Jesus' closest disciple, the Apostle to the Apostles. I won't get into whether or not they were married, but for my story, I decided to make Elpis and Ardyn romantically involved to complete the circular feeling of their story. (And also because I'm a big, hopeless, gushy romantic at heart.) Just like some stories say Jesus cast "seven devils" out of Mary Magdalene, Ardyn heals seven people of the Scourge in Elpis' tribe.

Elpis, meanwhile, is the Greek name for "hope". It was the last spirit left in the box that Pandora opened.

As far as the chains Ardyn's imprisoned with go, I figured there had to be some magic involved that kept him there. Otherwise he could have just freed himself and walked away. Therefore, I had the chains magicked. (And no, Crescentia was not aware of Ardyn's true fate. Somnus had her bless the chains in Solheim. Only Somnus, Adeo, and Deus know of Ardyn's true whereabouts.)

However, there is another aspect playing into Ardyn's imprisonment as well. When I first read that he had been crucified and imprisoned, it brought to mind the story of Loki and Sigyn and their Ordeal in the Cave. If you glance at my other fics (or even know me on twitter or tumblr) you know that Loki and, especially Sigyn, are dear to my heart. Thus I drew some inspiration from the Ordeal in terms of Elpis and Ardyn: After Elpis dies, her spirit stays behind in the prison with him, as Sigyn chose to stay with Loki, protecting him and loosening the blessings that keep him chained. When Ardyn is freed, much like Loki, he goes about to fulfill a prophecy and bring about the end of the world, or at the very least, an end to the age of gods.

As for Elpis' death... well. I always intended to kill her from the start of the story, especially given a line Ardyn says to Noctis during the final battle:

"When your beloved died... you lie watching, powerless to stop it!"

Since everything Ardyn says is either projection or has a second meaning entirely, it's pretty much a given that the things he's saying to Noctis hold some weight to him as well. Frankly, even though I toyed around with ideas to see if her death was avoidable, it was pretty much inevitable. There was no way she would leave Ardyn in the prison and, just as Mary Magdalene was the first to find Jesus' tomb empty, once she knew his body wasn't where it was supposed to be, she wouldn't give up until she found it. I also planned for Somnus to be the one to kill her. Not because he's evil, but because I wanted my anti-destiny message to be brutal and make everyone cry.

Now that I've hopefully accomplished that, the playlist for this chapter:

1\. Empire by Of Monsters and Men  
2\. Way Down We Go by Kaleo  
3\. Kingdom Come by The Civil Wars  
4\. Thousand Eyes by Of Monsters and Men

While we've come to the end of Elpis' story, there are a few things that still need to be tied up. So I hope I'll see you back here soon. Thanks for sticking with it this far.


	5. Epilogue

_I cannot remember your face. Nor the sound of your voice._

 _I have naught but fragments left. Black, curly hair threaded between my fingers. Warm hands in mine. Knowing you would laugh at my jokes, even as I cannot recall what the joke was, or what you might have said in return. I remember you loved my silliness, my vanity, how I depended on you and no one else._

 _I remember we created the purest light in Eos._

 _Memories decay with time. This is true even of immortals._

 _I cannot decide if it is better this way or not._

 _I cannot tell if this dulls the pain or not._

 _I wonder, is it better to know you have loved and hold on to the few scraps left of it in your mind? Or is it more merciful to forget it entirely, now that it is forever more beyond your reach?_

 _Sometimes I think I see you in the darkness, but when I look, you've gone. If it was ever you at all._

 _You are the only thing I pray to anymore. Maybe a part of me still hopes one day you'll be able to answer._

 _It wasn't just my future they stole from me. I gave up on having a future when Bahamut chose me._

 _I cannot forgive that they stole yours too. I cannot forget that they erased what we might have been, the children we would have had, the kingdom we could have built._

 _I cannot remember the name of our daughter._

 _I do not care about the kingdom. I never actively sought that sort of power, and though I would have taken up the crown as commanded, I do not mourn the loss of it. If we had only been allowed to live in peace, I would have forgiven them their treachery. If they had only left us alone, I would have been content with that._

 _There was a song you used to sing to yourself. You didn't sing it often, never around a crowd and sometimes not even in front of me. But over the years we were together, I heard enough of it to piece together the whole thing. It was a lullaby, I think-I cannot recall-but your voice, soft and sweet and at times so remarkably off-key that it would reduce me to laughter, made it the sweetest thing I had ever heard._

 _I try to hum it to myself now. When I cannot stand the silence. When I try to forget the other sounds that haunt me. I cannot escape into sleep-I have not slept in ages. I am so tired, El, but I cannot rest._

 _The smell of your blood has sunk into the stones of this prison. It permeates the air. I cannot escape it. I cannot escape the horrid sound you let out when Somnus' blade cut through your chest. I cannot forget the thud of your body as it hit the ground._

 _I cannot remember your last words to me._

 _If I am here until the end of Eos itself, will I forget you completely?_

 _I tell myself a story._

 _In an age long past, there lived a healer in the ruins of what was once Ifrit's kingdom of the sun. He could cure the afflicted of a Scourge that turned men and animals into beasts. And during the Long Night, a woman came to him and begged for help._

 _I cannot remember, El. Did I save your sister, or your mother?_

 _El. Elpis Maelen, Eldest Daughter of..._

 _Elpis Maelen, of... Izunia._

 _Whose name was Izunia?_

 _Elpis. Would that I could carve your name into my skin so that I could never forget it._

 _In an age long past, a healer lived in Solheim. The gods themselves promised him the sun, and for a time, he had it, in the form of a woman named Elpis. And though he did everything they asked of him, in the end, the Crystal asked one thing of him that he could not give. He could not give up the sun._

 _The gods lied. And the healer's sun was snuffed out. Another took her place, just as another took mine._

 _Somnus. Was this what you wanted? Did you grow to hate me that much and I was blind to it? We had our differences, but we were brothers. I loved you. I would have protected you from the crown and the Crystal if I could._

 _Let me tell you a story._

 _In an age long past, a Scourge ravaged mankind..._

 _Once I believed my destiny to be the savior of my people, of Solheim. I believed my destiny was to be king, and the sun itself my wife. But my destiny was a lie. My fate is to live in darkness forever, a monster hidden away from the light._

 _Somnus. The Astrals. You all wanted a monster, didn't you? You wanted a monster for your story._

 _I was not a monster when I began this tale. But I will become one. I will be the greatest monster Eos has ever seen. I will be the monster you made of me._

 _If that is my destiny, I will play it gladly._

 _Forgive me, El._

* * *

Light. Light, and the sound of many footsteps.

Ardyn looks up and hisses as the light glares into his eyes. If he still felt pain, it would be agonizing.

A man with blond hair approaches him. "Aren't you an impressive sight? Who knew the soft Lucians were capable of such cruelty?" The man smirks, regarding the hooks in Ardyn's flesh. "Mayhaps we should take notes."

Ardyn does not respond. His eyes, still adjusting to the light after ages of going without, roam over the people that have assembled in his prison cell.

And then he stops. For there, just in front of the exit, he sees the flow of an orange skirt, white fabric dragging along the ground, the curve of a smile with full lips.

Elpis smiles at him, brown eyes shining, and before he can even whisper her name, she's gone.

"Well," the man says, an unwelcome intrusion, "if the Lucians feared you so desperately that they hid you here, that makes you a very intriguing person to know." To the strange soldiers around him, the man says, "Get him down."

Ardyn, gazing at the spot where Elpis was, does not immediately realize the clanking sound he hears moments later are the chains coming away from the walls. The soldiers around him curse quietly as they see the hooks in his body.

"No need," he finally says, his voice just as clear as it was the day the gods cursed him with immortality. He rips the hook from his right palm, watching as the Scourge drips from the wound. It's strange to see a hole in his body and feel only a sense of pressure, not pain. Then it heals, leaving no trace it was ever there at all.

Slowly, Ardyn smiles.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he says to the blond man in armor. He picks up a long lost dagger from the ground and hears Elpis' dying gasps once more. "Ardyn Izunia. At your service."

* * *

 _I see you everywhere, Elpis._

 _History has forgotten us. There is no mention of us in any books, any stories. Only Somnus and Crescentia-though their names have been forgotten as well. It's not much of a comfort. Deus rewrote history well._

 _There are no tribes in the desert anymore. Everyone has assimilated to towns and cities. I think you'd like that your home still looks nearly the same as it did two millennia ago._

 _Somnus began a kingdom, the kingdom that should have been ours. He named it 'Lucis'. He did not stay in Solheim; his castle lay past your desert. Insomnia, it's called. I suppose he thought himself smart for that. Then again, 'Elpida' would have made a beautiful name for a capitol. You never would have gone for that, though._

 _The prophecy has not forgotten me. I am known as the Plague, the Wicked One. Isn't that grand? Isn't it amazing how one can go from being blessed to being cursed in two millennia?_

 _Gods, El. Two millennia. I have lived in darkness for two millennia without you._

 _I see you everywhere. Never for very long - you are not the Oracle anymore, to defy the veils between our realms. The beyond keeps a close hold on you. But I do see you. I see you in Galdin Quay, in Lestallum, in Gralea..._

 _You are watching over me even now. The True King has the gods and the Crystal and the Oracle watching over him; I have you. I need nothing more._

 _What would you think of Eos now, I wonder? You would love how easy it is to have any kind of dish from any culture you wanted. I no longer need sustenance, but sometimes I eat a meal, just to feel... something. I've even grown fond of spicy foods. You would be proud of me._

 _I see you now, Elpis. On the darkened streets of Insomnia. It has been forty long years since I've been freed, Elpis. I cannot understand why you still wait for me, after everything I've done. After everything I'm about to do._

 _Perhaps it's not you I see at all. Perhaps you're merely a figment of my imagination. I have become very good at creating illusions, after all._

* * *

On the darkened streets of Insomnia, Ardyn waits for Noctis. His impatient, cheerful humming falls silent as he senses something on his shoulder.

Elpis stands behind him, hand on his shoulder. His white robe hangs from her shoulders and is utterly clean of the blood that spilled on it two millennia before. At his confusion, she grins mischievously. "A certain Oracle helped me sneak through the veil."

Ardyn raises a trembling hand to her cheek - and watches in dismay as it passes through her. "El," he says, his voice a reverent whisper.

"Your time in darkness is coming to an end, Ardyn," Elpis says, and there's still so much love for him in her tone that it makes him want to weep. In his head, though, the monsters wail. They remember her, and both love and hate her and the salvation she promises. "I will await you in the beyond."

He shakes his head. "You should have moved on without me. I am not the man you loved. I have not been him in ages."

With gentle sympathy, Elpis puts a hand to his cheek. There is only a hair of separation between his skin and her soul. "What you are is not your fault," she says quietly. "I know you, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, and you are not the Accursed Immortal. You are, and shall ever be, my dearest husband."

Smiling bitterly, Ardyn closes his eyes. "I would have seen you happy without me. You should have lived a long, full life."

"It would not have been so without you," Elpis says. "I have seen all the threads of fate, dearest Ardyn, and our souls were always meant to meet. We are so tightly intertwined, you and I. In every life, we meet; in every life, we love each other."

"Let us hope those other incarnations fare better than we," Ardyn says, and he cannot help the pure venom in his voice.

Elpis only smiles slightly and steps away. "I'm so sorry, my love," she says. "But this will hurt."

Ardyn hears the sound of a warp behind him and knows Noctis waits. In a blink, Elpis is gone, the only sign she was ever there a drifting of beloperone petals on the air.

 _Pain,_ Ardyn muses with a slow grin as he turns to face the True King. _Won't that be a novel experience?_

* * *

Over Insomnia, the sun rises. The Long Night comes to an end once again. In the throne room, a woman in a wedding gown and a man in royal black kiss on the throne while sylleblossoms and soul crystals float around them, the sun shining down.

And far away, on a cliff overlooking the desert, a woman in a white healer's robe sits with a man resting his head on her lap, his long red-violet hair spilling over her legs. She stares out at the desert that she both can and cannot recognize, and she waits.

Slowly, the man's eyes open, revealing amber irises. He gazes up at her with awe.

Smiling, Elpis puts a hand to Ardyn's cheek, leans down, and kisses him deeply. When they part, Ardyn has tears falling from his eyes.

 _Come now,_ Elpis says as she strokes his hair. _You can rest, Ardyn. Rest with me._

 _Gladly,_ Ardyn says. She presses her forehead to his and, together after two thousand long years, Elpis and Ardyn rest at last.

* * *

NOTES: For real now, this is the end of the actual story. I have some thoughts about doing alternate timeline scenarios (because if the game itself can do it, why can't I?) but I'm going to let them simmer a bit before I touch them.

I decided to play around just a bit with Ardyn's memory of things. This comes mainly from when he was displaying the illusionary dead bodies in the throne room before the final battle. I noticed that a certain little brother was not amongst them, and you can't tell me Ardyn wouldn't have slapped up an imaginary dead Somnus. It wasn't all people Noctis knew and loved - Nyx Ulric was up there, so it was people who had gotten in Ardyn's way specifically in the story. So, I figured Ardyn's memories must be hazy. This always give leeway for the reader if they prefer to think that Ardyn was lying during his reveal to Noctis at the Crystal.

(We'll also ignore the fact that, after two thousand years, the language of Eos would have evolved so much that once Verstael said anything to Ardyn, his reaction should have be "? Why is this weird man speaking gibberish at me?" I assume Square will also ignore this little wrinkle in Ardyn's DLC.)

Thanks for reading my little 50k monstrosity of a fic, y'all.

The playlist for the epilogue:

1\. Which Witch by Florence + the Machine  
2\. Seven Devils by Florence + the Machine  
3\. Main theme from FINAL FANTASY by Yoko Shimomura for the FFXV soundtrack


End file.
